Athletes know kids look up to them, and it's important for athletes to be responsible.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
It's so important for kids to get involved with sports in general at a young age.
We're professional athletes. People know who we are, and if there's some way we can help with a friend or someone in need, that's a responsibility we have. I really strongly believe that.
Anything you can do to help someone, I just think it's so important because there's a lot of kids that look up athletes of all size and shapes in a lot of different fields, not necessarily in the basketball field. They get involved emotionally with those people because there's something about certain athletes that people rally around.
If you look at any superior athlete, you will find a strong parental influence. Parents introduce their children to a sport, and then they support them.
My overwhelming concern will always be the well-being of the athletes. In Olympic sport, it is rare for competitors not to devote half their young life to this. Their families will have given up all sorts of things to allow them to do that.
Most athletes, we're the good ol' boys, part of the good-ol'-boy fraternity, and we take care of our brothers, and we cover up the bad habit and the bad play.
I think being an athlete prepares you for more things than people give us credit for.
For truly it is to be noted, that children's plays are not sports, and should be deemed as their most serious actions.
Not every child is cut out for an individual sport.
It is not the time spent with the child at their activity that is going to produce the highest level athlete. It is in supporting the child in an organized activity - and Bill alluded to this - so the child can find what they truly like to do and let them go.