What Makes A Basketball Player a Great Leader And Teammate?
Strong leadership on the basketball
court is a key component to having a unified, successful, and winning team.
Leadership does not always come directly from the coach, but can come from
within the team itself. Typically, a leader emerges from the team. Some people
are born with natural leadership abilities and others have to strive and work
hard to obtain that same quality.
There is a saying in the sports that
holds true for all sport’s teams, "there is no I in team". A leader
will excel as an individual player, while simultaneously helping to improve the
effectiveness of the entire team. The first and most important key to becoming
a successful team player is to know the game inside and out. Knowing the actions and talents of your fellow teammates will help
the strength of the team to prosper.
Leaders are exceptional team players.
Usually, a team player does not often have to be the most talented player to be
the leader. Skills and natural talent of course help with leadership, but are
not required. The leaders is typically the most vocal and leads by example. A leader
needs to know the rules of the game, player's positions, duties and the team’s
plays. This is one of the most important aspects of a leader, they have to be
unselfish. One reason I exceled at being a leader on the basketball court was
because I would never quit, no matter the score. A leader must have confidence
in themselves and their team; this is a pedigree for a successful team.
Most importantly, along with those
other attributes stated above, a leader must set high standards for their team
and themselves in order to provide high quality leadership. Here are a few more
attributes of a leader. They are on time to practice and games, usually the
first player in the gym and usually the last one to leave, hardworking, and they
put their heart and soul into producing great outcomes for their team.
An example of a great leader was Michael
Jordan when he played with the Chicago Bulls through the late 1980's and
1990's. During this time he was considered a leader and great player because of
the character he portrayed on and off the court. Jordan won the NBA's MVP award
five times between 1987 and 1998, held the scoring title seven times from 1987
thru 1993, and then three more times since 1995-1998. Michael could not have won
6 championships without his teammates and in every interview he made sure to
mention his teammates in the team’s success.
Michael Jordan showed leadership
qualities from a very young age. Michael didn't make it onto his high school
team when he first tried out. With his perseverance and dedication to become
part of a team, he tried out the next year, and so began his basketball career
as a team leader.
Leaders and great teammates are not
made. Anyone can be a leader if they dedicate themselves to becoming successful
communicators and hard-workers. Stats Dad talks about how to lead with passion. This is definitely a
characteristic that a leader should have. It doesn’t take talent to lead with
passion, it takes heart!
Author: Lamar Hull is a
former basketball player for Davidson College and was a great leader on the court
because he put his teammates before himself. Because of Lamar’s leadership he
was awarded a professional contract to play in Europe. You can follow Lamar @lamarhull20
The Main Point
There is some great advice in this post, especially for the player who is not the superstar talent on the team. Coaches, fans and teammates appreciate the less talented but scrappy kid who out hustles everyone on the court to get it done.
