Rookie to Retirement – Learn from Them

If you’re a basketball fan, maybe you heard news that have been circulating around the league which most of us would say, “It’s their time.” Okay, I’m not talking about the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Easter Conference Finals where the Miami Heat sealed the deal that made them reach the Finals. I’m not talking about Lebron James fuelling his teammates to push further so that they would be crowned as 3-time Defending Eastern Conference Champs. Those aren’t what I’m referring. I’m talking about the retirement of two NBA legends, known for their skills, team play, work ethic and all–Jason Kidd and Grant Hill.

A week ago, while checking out NBA.com, I read about the exiting of Grant Hill from the game. To be honest, I’ve never watched much of Grant Hill’s games because he was part of teams that I used not to like. From Detroit to Orlando to Phoenix and to the Los Angeles Clippers. But, Hill really performed to his best while playing the games. Although he has been a victim of so many injuries, this didn’t stop him from entering the court again and playing with energy. Hill was known to be a slasher, shooter, and team player most of the time. One thing he will be remembered of is his persistence despite the injuries that came along as well as his passion and love for the game.

Just today, while looking at the box score of game seven between Miami and Indiana, the news that was featured in NBA.com was the retirement of Jason Kidd. I was surprised. That was my initial reaction. Contrary to Hill, I love watching Kidd play even if he still played for teams that I didn’t like. He’s like the ‘Magic Johnson’ in the league now. Known for his dribbling skills, became a 3-point specialist, he has a high IQ for the game. Kidd is one of the best for me, yet he retired.

Kidd and Hill entered the game and earned the spotlight in the same year. They were recognized as co-rookie awardees in year 1995 and now, the co-retirees in the same year. Congratulations to both. Kidd and Hill are worth the respect in the basketball realm. No doubt. Within 18 years in their basketball career, from entering the biggest stage of the game and going out, I can list at least three good lessons which we can relate to our life.

Here they are:

1.    Started Well and Right – Okay, we all know that NBA is a game for pros and veterans. Rookies need to adjust to their gameplay but despite the expectations that NBA has upon them, they both overcame it. Maybe there was fear, but they were able to deal with it. They didn’t allow fear to make them run away. Rather, they kept playing and playing well.

Same goes with our life. We can’t allow fear to dictate the way we live. Pretty sure we will go through tons of obstacles along the way but we must learn to overcome them. We must learn to fight, and fight hard. We must learn to put the right foot forward and be confident to go through the challenges. We can’t just sit back and chill. Let’s learn to live our lives by starting right and starting well.

2.    Conquer Challenges – Both players tasted defeat and pain along the way. For Hill, he underwent serious surgeries because of his injuries during the prime of his career. He was becoming better and stronger in his career though, but injuries plagued him.

Meanwhile, another story unfolded for Kidd. He didn’t really have serious injuries, but he faced defeat in his journey–reaching the NBA finals and yet losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. Imagine, they were just seven games before being hailed as the CHAMPS yet sadly they fell behind a better Lakers team.

Despite these difficult moments, they persevered. They didn’t back down. They went on. They came out storming back looking to redeem those lost moments. They conquered and because of this, they won. I’ll be talking about it further in the next lesson.

3.    Finished Strong – Yes, as what I was saying, they came storming back into the spotlight. Guess what happened. Kidd became an NBA champion back in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks where he honed much of his 3-point skills and still maintaining his passing ability.

On the other hand, Hill kept playing at a high level despite his injuries, contributing a lot to the teams he played. While playing with the Suns, they became a team to watch because of the fast paced game they played with Amare Stoudemaire and Steve Nash alongside. They contended to become the best of the west.

We don’t just live life. We live it right and well. By doing so, we must start right and well, conquer the challenges along the way and finish it strong. That’s what Kidd and Hill did in their careers and we can learn from them. From rookies to retirement. What an awesome journey. Worth looking back.

How about for you and me? When we retire in life can we say we lived our lives to the fullest? I hope so.