ATHLETIC ATTITUDE & CHARACTER

In 2012, during the Eastern Conference Finals, Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics were losing to the great Miami Heat team with Lebron James. Doc Rivers, the Celtics head coach, called a time-out in the final minutes of the game and took Garnett out. Later the coach recalled Garnett walking up to him, knowing that the game was over, embracing him and saying, “Coach, are you OK?” Rivers stated in the post-game press conference that Garnett was the most “selfless player” he ever

coached, and that “every coach should have an opportunity to coach a player like Garnett.” Interestingly, when Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Celtics in 2010, he stated midway through the season that it was “the most unselfish team” he had ever played on. O’Neal already had

won four titles and been to the finals six times. Over the years, Doc Rivers routinely had to “encourage” Garnett to take more shots on offense. Garnett was always trying to get others involved in the offense as he was almost “too unselfish.” Of course, Garnett was known for his tenacious defense— the most team-oriented, unselfish aspect of the game. Legendary stories of Garnett practicing too hard when he was returning from injury, or out-hustling rookies, were always in the Boston newspapers. His leadership, attitude, and competitive spirit are

what brought the Celtics to two finals appearances and one title. He changed the culture of an organization through his leadership and attitude.

Character: On and Off the Court

What type of character do you want to possess as an athlete? How do you want to be perceived by your teammates? By coaches? Parents? Do you want to be perceived as a leader?

As someone who works hard and is poised under pressure? Or someone who does not commit and complains and blames others when things get difficult? Do you want to be the type of

teammate that others can depend on? Or do you want to be the type of teammate that is not dependable? You need to have a baseline level of skill, but beyond that character attributes are completely under your control. Do you complain to the refs? Do you blame other teammates? Or do

you take responsibility for your successes and failures and do whatever it takes to constantly improve and support your team-mates? Simply, are you a positive or a negative teammate?

Your character and personality invariably reveal themselves in your practice and performance, because your sport is inherently challenging, and fraught with failure. Your teammates and coaches will discover the best and worst of your personality. We are all given a certain degree of talent and skill, but your attitude is 100% in your control. How you respond to failure, to

challenges, and success is all in your hands. Be mindful of how you carry yourself, and know that you have the power to change your attitude and become optimistic at any time. Set goals for the type of player and teammate you want to be, and how you want to be perceived by others. Just

like training to increase your speed and strength, write down your goals describing the type of player you want to be. For example, in your off-season training, you can write a goal to the effect of: “My goal is to be a leader on my team that my teammates can depend on in good times and in bad.” Or “I respond to challenges and failures with poise and maturity, and I continue

to work hard through adversity.”Imprint these mantras and goals in your mind and write them

down every day, just like your strength and conditioning goals. These goals are more important to you and your team than how much you can bench press or how fast you can sprint. In fact,

these attributes will take you further in life.