The past year showed us all how much a privilege sports are, and Bradley Beal had an incredibly authentic conversation about it with his AAU team.
Tomorrow isn’t promised.
It’s a phrase we often hear in life. It’s not one, however, that we really hear in terms of sports. Of course, coaches and parents try to get their kids to realize that they too will one day be adults with responsibilities and that they should cherish their time on the playground of life that is youth sports. What a time that was. No worries — just you, your friends and your favorite sport. But, tomorrow isn’t promised.
Around this time last year, millions of high school student-athletes across the country realized that tomorrow isn’t promised. Their health isn’t promised. Their way of life isn’t promised. Their lives, simply, are not promised.
And sports aren’t promised.
Tons of student-athletes at all levels saw their seasons canceled and lives changed forever. Some got the chance to get back to their sport, likely with a new appreciation for the time they get to spend playing the game they love with their teammates and friends.
With sports coming back full swing, competitive offseason play is on the horizon as well. AAU basketball is kicking off, meaning thousands of young men and women will be fighting for the chance to become an NCAA collegiate athlete and ultimately, a pro player.
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal had to remind his AAU team of what it takes to reach their goals, and his speech was so brutally honest that we all need to hear it.
Bradley Beal’s speech is one we all need to hear right now
Sports apply so much to life and that’s likely the reason we all relate to them so much. In sports, you have to put in hours and hours of work and preparation with people you may or may not care about but have to trust in order to achieve a common goal. That’s life. But sometimes we can forget that and get lost in the shuffle.
Beal took some time to tell his AAU team just how competitive the game of life is. Players on his team undoubtedly have dreams of making it to the NBA; after all, their coach did. However, Beal told them how rare he is in such an authentic way that you have to respect it.
According to the NCAA, 4.2 percent of draft-eligible Division I players were chosen in the 2019 NBA draft.
Four percent.
This moment and that speech should serve as a stark reminder of the type of work and dedication that it will take to achieve some of our goals and dreams. If we want something that not everyone can have, we must be willing to do things that others are not.
Those who do the little things consistently often are champions in the end.