Athletes vs. Players

Athletes vs. Players

I once read that being an athlete is a biological happening while being a player is about hard work and being a good teammate. This has really stuck in my mind lately. We are working very hard to be a good team and to be good teammates. The process has brought the opening statement to my mind. I have watched many people step on the court as tremendous athletes who aren’t necessarily good players. The NBA is filled with this kind of athlete.

The great players like Michael Jordan might be tremendous athletes but they also work extremely hard. While the stories abound that Jordan wasn’t the best teammate and didn’t treat people properly, it seems that he was always pushing teammates to their limit to see what they can handle and to see if they would be there in crunch time. By pushing them to excel and be elite was he really being a bad teammate???

Steve Nash is a very good athlete but doesn’t play above the rim with fancy dunks. What makes him so good? He was born with a certain genetic allotment and has had some luck along the way but he has worked tremendously hard to get to where he is. He is also a great teammate. You can see his selfless manner every time he hits the court and his teammates love to play with him because they know he is dedicated to winning and playing like a team.

While tremendous athletes can do some things on the court they may not make the best players because of their less than stellar work ethic and the way they treat their teammates. Have you heard of Stephon Marbury??