Credits: USA TODAY Sports
Shaquille O’Neal is well aware of the grit and grind required to make it to the NBA. However, youngsters aspiring to be NBA players often underestimate the work required to make it to the league. Therefore, Shaq recently used his platform and a Draymond Green rant to outline the importance of pushing the envelope to live the dream of making it to the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers icon shared a clip of the Golden State Warriors star imparting his wisdom during one of his training sessions with Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Rico Hines and his students at UCLA.
During the heated session, Green crucified the trainees for their lack of effort during a two-minute sprint. He said,
“I watched y’all do two-minute sprints, and maybe 10 people took it seriously. There’s 40 motherf**kers in here… Why? Because you think you’re done? Well, you won’t make it to the end.”
“That s**t’s hard as f**k. And when you finish, you’re exhausted. And everybody sitting here, nobody’s exhausted. You don’t push your f**king selves… You want to make it to the end, you gotta push yourself… You don’t wait. You need to want this s**t, man,” Green concluded his rant in a fiery fashion completely drenched in sweat.
The veteran NBA star continued reprimanding the youngsters, telling them that the grind doesn’t end after making it to the NBA. He added that players have to attack every workout and practice session head on to ensure that they remain in the league and push themselves to be better. Otherwise, a hungrier aspirant would replace them.
Not many stars in the NBA know the value of hard work more than Green. The veteran forward was a second-round pick and was expected to be a strong rotational player at best. However, he proved the scouts wrong. He established himself as an indispensable cog in the Warriors’ starting lineup through hard work and perseverance.
He earned four All-Star nods, two All-NBA Team selections, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. He also won the NBA title four times with the Warriors, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest forwards in the league’s history.
During his rant, the future Hall of Famer did not ask for anything from the trainees he hadn’t done himself. Green is aware of how low the possibility of making it to the NBA is and warned those in attendance that only those who worked hard stood a chance of living out their dream.
