My stepfather often told me I wasn’t going to amount to anything but he wasn’t the only one. Two of my UCLA teammates tried to discourage me. After being selected to try out for the 1972 Olympic team, one teammate told me he felt sorry for me because I was going to get my butt kicked.
One week before leaving for Virginia, where I was about to begin my rookie year as a professional, I was playing pick-up basketball in the old gym at UCLA. I got in an argument with a player who had graduated two years before and was already an NBA star. We exchanged words. He threw down the trump card when he said, “I don’t care who the current center is on the Virginia Squires. You’ll never beat him out. And you’ll never lead that league in rebounding.” That year, I was Rookie of the Year and the next year I led the ABA in rebounding. I would like to say, “Thank You,” to both of my fellow Bruins.
Those players who end up being really successful, don't just play the game. They are motivated. Are you just playing... or do you have something to prove?
(Thanks Swen Nater)
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