LeBron James and JJ Redick recently hosted James’ former high school coach, Keith Dambrot, on the latest episode of their podcast, Mind The Game. The conversation between the three basketball gurus ranged from talking about the X’s and O’s of the game, Dambrot’s coaching strategies, and so much more.
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During this discussion, Coach Dambrot emphasized that players must play their ‘role’ in the team, which means building on their best skillset to contribute to a win. He used the example of LeBron James, who had always relied on his individual skill set to fetch crucial wins for his team when the time called. “Most of the guys in the NBA, you guys know way more than me, are role players. So, you have to be really good in something,” Dambrot said.
JJ Redick fully agreed with him and confessed that even Luka Doncic and LeBron James are essentially also role players. However, he tried highlighting the difference between the definition and the connotation before adding James and Doncic in this category.
Redick said, “Everybody is a role player. His [LeBron James’] roles is to be the guy. Luka’s role is to be the guy. That’s his role. There’s a difference between the definition and the connotation. The connotation of a role player, most 19 and 20-year-olds don’t want to hear that.”
Redick highlighted how every player has a role to fulfill in the NBA and must fit within that role to excel in the league. However, when young talents shrug away from the idea of being role players, they are bound to face an upward battle before they can find any kind of success in the NBA.
On that note, JJ Redick added that while talent, size, and skill sets may seem necessary for players, the best way to determine if they are fit for the league would be to assess if they are ready to not only accept this definition but to also be ready to accept whatever rule it is they do receive, and try to capitalize on it.
LeBron James agrees with JJ Redick’s thoughts for players to fit into the league
LeBron James agreed with JJ Redick’s take on players requiring a certain amount of intelligence to survive in the NBA. Quoting the entrepreneur Jimmy Iovine, LeBron said, “It goes back to the saying that I told you about one of my good friend Jimmy Iovine always talks about. When the s**t gets bigger than the cat, you get rid of the f**king cat.”
Through this statement, LeBron James tried highlighting how role players, who average 25-30 points per game at the peak of their career, try to garner a certain level of authority within their surroundings all because of their form, and how things can sometimes spiral completely out of control due to their ego stemming from it.
LeBron James then further tried to highlight how it is essential for superstars to have the right set of players surrounding them. That way, they can complement each other’s game as well as fetch easy wins on a nightly basis, something JJ Redick couldn’t help but agree with.
Players require a certain level of ego to be able to make it to the NBA in the first place, so it would be harsh to blame an athlete for having one. That said, it is also their job to keep it in check and not let it get in their own way. It is something both LeBron James and JJ Redick managed during their careers in the league. And having seen what it can do it a person when that doesn’t happen, they likely want to see nothing more than for stars today to learn this lesson before they do any other.
