On the most recent edition of their podcast, Mind The Game, LeBron James and JJ Redick had Keith Dambrot, James’ old high school coach, as a guest. The three basketball experts discussed a wide range of topics, including Dambrot’s coaching techniques and the game’s fundamentals.
Coach Dambrot stressed throughout this conversation that for a team to succeed, each player must fulfill their “role” on the team, which entails honing their most robust set of talents. He cited LeBron James as an example, who had always depended on his unique skill set to deliver significant victories for his team when it mattered most.
“Most of the guys in the NBA, you guys know way more than me, are role players. So, you have to be really good in something,” Dambrot said.
JJ Redick then added, “Everybody is a role player. His roles is to be the guy. Luka’s role is to be the guy. That’s his role. There’s a difference between the definition and the connotation. The connotation of a role player, most 19 and 20-year-olds don’t want to hear that.”
LeBron James Reflects on How Players Should Blend In With the League
LeBron James concurred with JJ Redick that players must possess a certain intelligence level to thrive in the NBA. LeBron James attempted to illustrate how role players—who, at the height of their careers, averaged 25–30 points per game strive to establish a certain amount of authority in their surroundings as a result of their play and how, occasionally, this can lead to things spiraling entirely out of control because of their resulting ego.
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LeBron James then made an additional attempt to emphasize how important it is for superstars to surround themselves with the appropriate group of teammates. JJ Redick couldn’t help but agree that this would allow them to easily win games every night and enhance each other’s games.
It would be unfair to criticize an athlete for possessing an ego, as players need it to qualify for the NBA in the first place. Nevertheless, their responsibility is also to control and prevent it from getting in the way of them. Throughout their NBA careers, LeBron James and JJ Redick both accomplished this.
