This is a young LeBron James getting interviewed (by Kirk Herbstreit!) after his St. Vincent-St. Mary High School squad won its second state title in two years with him as their sophomore leader. When asked about whether an almost unimaginable goal of winning four state championships provided motivation for the next season, this was his response:
Yea. That was a long-time goal. But we make sure we’re worried about [championship] three. And then we can worry about 4. That is one of the things we wanna do.
When asked about how to “avoid complacency,” his response was just as mature.
Everyday you gotta go out there and work because there’s someone out there working too. And if you stop, I think they’ll pass you up. So, my coaches push me. I push myself. My teammates push me. My mother brought me up real good.
He goes on to reveal that his individual long-term goal is to reach the NBA. Check that off his list.
His next goal? To be the best. While the debate continues, it seems like LeBron has put together 15 years of hard evidence he must be considered among the greatest basketball icons of all time. While it remains a given that he was NBA-bound and superlative since he was an Akron prodigy, his accomplishments have all been hard-fought. The Cavs star would never accept himself as an underdog, knowing he’s been groomed for this stage, this year, this moment, and continues to best even the most prime competition of his era.
(Via FTW)
And for a look elsewhere in the basketball world…
