Here on Shoot2scorehoops.com we are starting a weekly focus on players all over the world and showing why they are the best. We’re not just showing highlights and game winning shots, we’re showing the dedication, the hard work, and the desire these players have to be the best! Our 1st player is none other than the 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP Kevin Durant.
He’s a game winner, buzzer beater, shot blocking and a slam dunking machine. He is Kevin Durant. Like most great athletes hard work and dedication comes before awards and recognition. What’s not discussed is the sweat, the pain and the long hours that are put into his daily workout. In order to achieve greatness you have to put in work. Durant works at being great by motivating and pushing himself through strength building workouts, which in the end builds resistance and stamina. Working out may be a fight, but it shapes your character and prepares you for the next level. You see the last second 3-2-1 buzzer beater. You see the ball in his hands when they need a bucket. You see the game winning shot on two defenders as time winds down. Out of all this, there is one thing you dont see.. what it took for him to get here.
It took more than going to the gym putting up jumpers. It took more than just going through the motions in the gym, it took dedication, discipline and a burning desire to get better. Many players today talk about wanting to be the best, and talk about winning championships but very few are willing to put that time in the gym that's required to do those things. The sacrifices that have to be made, whether it means less time on the Wii or PS3, to less time on Facebook and Twitter. Sacrifices have to me made! Are you willing to make those sacrifices? That's the question players must ask themselves. Players must be willing to really analyze their game, find the strengths and weaknesses and work on those things to become a better player. These are things that separates Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Lebron James from other players in the NBA. Even at the highest level of the game players still make sacrifices and put in the work to become the best.
Now, at 21, Durant can prove that all of his hard work and dedication to his game has paid off. His devotion and passion earned him the 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP, a spot on the 2010 NBA All-Star team and the 2010 NBA Scoring Champion. The awards maybe a small incentive to his future, but his discipline and preparation will out weigh them all. When you watch this video understand that this isn't a one time occurrence for Durant, this is something he routinely does to better prepare himself. Notice how he keeps going even when he's tired, how he pushes his body beyond its limits, and then ask yourself, "what am I doing to make myself better?"
