Why is LeBron James
the Best Basketball Player in the World?
LeBron James seems to be a pretty polarizing figure, most
people either love him or they can’t stand him. I guess I am one of the
outliers in that I have no strong opinion of him as a person though for such a
high profile athlete you rarely if ever hear anything negative attached to his
name.
But if you were starting a basketball team tomorrow and you
could choose any player in the world James would be the best investment (if
your goal is to win). Some may argue but I think most would reluctantly or
enthusiastically agree.
If you were to speak with professional talent evaluators and
asked them who the best player was in each of the following categories:
Ball handling
Shooting
Passing
Rebounding
Defense
James would likely only get the nod in one category and that
is defense, a quality that is based more on athleticism and determination than
any sport specific skill. That said how could James be the best player in the
sport if he’s not the best in any single basketball skill (though he’s still
very good in all categories)? James is the best overall athlete in the sport!
No player has his combination of size, speed, coordination, strength and power.
He can get anywhere on the court whenever he wants to and no can really stop
him without leaving his (James) teammates unaccounted for.
Most people would think James was born with a basketball in
his crib and started dribbling before he could even stand… Not true! James was
not even introduced to the sport until the age of 9. He was also a fantastic
high school football player; he was all state and won a state championship in
the sport but missed his senior year because of a broken wrist suffered in
summer AAU basketball.
So here we have the best player in his sport and he did not
even find out about basketball until he was nine and played multiple sports
through his junior year of high school. Now given, James is a freaky athlete
but his early developmental years are an excellent example of how crucial it is
to diversify in order to accumulate a warehouse of physical literacy. Sport
specific skills can always be refined in the late teen years and professionals
do it all the time. James was a very mediocre jump shooter when he first
entered the NBA but now he is a very good shooter.
On the flip side if a child doesn’t acquire fundamental
movement skills during the critical years (generally between the ages of 6-12)
they will never be able to fully realize their athletic/physical potential.
Fundamental skills are the building blocks upon which technical sport skills
are built. In the NBA you will see long-distance specialists whose primary roll
is to enter the game and hit 3-point shots. These athletes are very limited
because if they aren’t making their shots they are a liability because they
lack overall athleticism and can’t contribute effectively in other aspects of
the game. This is very likely the byproduct of showing early proficiency in
shooting the basketball and devoting a disproportionate amount of time to
refining that skill while failing to address their overall game.
Early sport specialization leaves an athlete vulnerable to
developmental gaps that can never be closed.
All sports begin with basic fundamental movement and core
sports skills. The ABCs of movement include agility; balance, coordination and
speed, while core sports skills include running, jumping, skating, catching,
striking and throwing. It has been shown that children, who have a strong,
broad-based foundation in the fundamental movements and sports skills from a
variety of sports and activities, increase their potential for future success
in sports. Whether this is confidence to lead a healthy, and active life in
sport, or to become an elite athlete, this strong foundation in the
FUNdamentals will help children reach their full potential. Without this
foundation, children may never reach their genetic potential.
”Young athletes who
participate in a variety of sports have fewer injuries and play sports longer
than those who specialize before puberty. Well-rounded, multisport athletes
have the highest potential to achieve.” (Brenner 2007)
- Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
If you are a hockey fan you know whom the Great One is/was. For the younger
generation Wayne Gretzky is generally credited for bringing hockey into the
mainstream in America. Gretzky has this simple message for parents (and coaches, emphasis mine): Let Your
Kids Have Fun!
"In youth hockey, in most cases, it's really important
for kids to play other sports - whether it's indoor lacrosse or soccer or
baseball. I think what that does is two things. One, each sport helps the other
sport. And then I think taking time off in the off-season - that three or four
month window - really rejuvenates kids so when they come back at the end of
August, they're more excited. They think, 'All right, hockey's back, I'm ready
to go.'" Wayne Gretzky.
Excerpt from Globe and
Mail, September 26, 2008, Erick Duhatschek. Gretzky was a multi- sport athlete himself growing up as
he also excelled in baseball and lacrosse.
There is strong evidence that elite athletes at the
professional and Olympic level spent a majority of their developmental years
(6-12) engrossed in general and diverse sporting experiences. The “generalists”
were also considered late developers as compared to early specialists who
peaked early but were soon caught and bypassed by the generalist late bloomers
when it should matter the most in the late teen years.
The most diverse athletic backgrounds when experienced
during the most opportune times of youth serve as a powerful foundation for
long-term sport and physical excellence.
Speaking of youth sports I would like to share a pair of
short videos from another polarizing figure (though I am not certain why)
especially for Detroit fans, Jim Leyland. He shares his view on the youth sport
culture:
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