Miami Heat offensive guard Jimmy Butler said before the start of the NBA finals that he was not going to idealize Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
“We are two completely different players, two different people. LeBron does everything according to his vision. I have my own vision. I have a lot of respect for LeBron, but his decisions don’t mean too much to me. He doesn’t give me any money. He doesn’t put food on my table. He doesn’t give me a roof over my head. No disrespect to LeBron, he’s a very good player, but his path is very different from mine. Only I can stay on my way. It is quite difficult for me to read two books at the same time. I know that comparing two separate careers is a bit difficult,” the Athletic quoted Butler as saying.
Dwight Howard revealed the essence of the conversation with Kobe Bryant after the loss in the 2009 NBA finals
Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard spoke about a conversation with the legendary Kobe Bryant after losing in the 2009 NBA finals. Then Bryant’s Lakers beat Howard’s Orlando magic.
“What should I do to get better?» I asked Coby. He said: “What do you mean? You’re already one of the best in the world. What are you talking about? Keep doing what you’re doing, keep playing hard. Work on your jump shots, learn to hit from the shield.” I said: “How many shots do you make in a day?» He replied that he made 1,000 shots a day.
That’s what I started doing: throwing and making 1,000 jump shots a day. The following year, he was second in the MVP race, behind derrick rose. I’ll never forget it. The reason he said “do it” was not because he wanted me to perform jump shots, but more because of a desire to see progress,” the Athletic quoted Howard as saying.