For those of you who follow the NBA, let's play a quick game. I'll name a player, and you say the first word that comes to mind. Okay, how about Corey Maggette?
For those of you who don't follow the NBA, I'll give you a taste of the answers that many people probably arrived at: lazy, selfish, black hole, bad teammate, arrogant. Not exactly the collection of descriptors that presents a positive character.
What if I told you that in 2004, Corey Maggette found out that one of his assistant coaches had prostrate cancer that was spreading at an alarming rate and paid for the $70,000 dollar surgery out of his own pocket? Would that change your perception of him?
Because that is what happened with Kim Hughes, former assistant and head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, and it runs contrary to what most associate with Maggette. This serves as a sharp reminder that the player's conduct on that court is not always an accurate reflection of their character. Too often players are negatively labeled for how they conduct themselves while in the heat of the moment. But even a widely-regarded bad teammate proves that that doesn't necessarily make him a bad person.
Next time a friend or parent makes a snap-judgment of a player, think back to Maggette. What you see on the court isn't what you always what you get in the real world. And that is where their real character matters most.
Maggette helps pay for Hughes' surgery - ESPN
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete