Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all --
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.

I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.

But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
​
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have. 
And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe

Every point you can get for you team will help you get wins. So what are you shooting from the foul line? The average high school free throw shooting percentage is estimated at 55-60%. The NCAA % is right around 69% with Pro’s jumping to 77-80%. Take responsibility to increase your percentage and help your team win more games.

Here’s some advice for increasing your shooting percentage from the charity stripe. Let’s make more of these easy points.

1- Have a consistent routine - Keep it short and simple. Do it every time (including practice shots).
2- Visualize it going in - See yourself make the shot before you shoot it!
3- Focus on feeling - Focus on the feeling of your hands and follow through more than focusing on the target/rim. It’s free throws, not darts.
4- Don’t stay on line between FT’s - Get a touch from the teammate behind you. Reset.
5- Practice Swishes! - Don’t count a make in your practice if you hit the rim. Raise your expectation, aim small, miss small.

This post is taken from Point Guard College and their blog posts that focus on developing all parts of your game. PGC offers summer camps for players to grow on the court and as leaders, and really begin to understand how to think the game of basketball to lead their team. We are a Partner Program, and that comes with the perk of $100 off. Learn more here: https://pgcbasketball.com/

​#getbetter

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.”
Vince Lombardi


This quote reminds us that the “want to” is as important as anything in life as we start each day. Will is the mental makeup of how bad we try to make something happen. When there is a lack of will, there is usually a lack of great results.


Lombardi’s thought here empowers us. If a lack of will keeps us from our successes, then that is in our control to try and fix. To be great at something we must first really want it and and commit to working towards it even when we don’t feel like it. Will is stronger than feelings.


Think about something you are pursuing. Decide if your will is strong enough to help you realize this goal, or if you need to change. Don’t let a lack of will lead you short to what you want.


#getbetter