Story 12

Three teenage boys discuss professional and high school basketball.

Teamwork

“Are you nuts?” Mitch Milton yelled. “Kobe Bryant is NOT the greatest basketball player ever. There are lots of better players. For example, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tim Duncan, and Larry Bird are all better than Kobe. Kobe is a ball hog who shoots well. But those other guys, they are more well-rounded. And, they are all team players. Kobe just plays for his own glory.”

“That is quite a mouth full,” Todd Bome replied. “I didn’t know you disliked Kobe so much. But, you are wrong. In his younger days, Kobe might have been a ball hog. But, he changed. After a while, he knew he couldn’t win if he didn’t become a team guy. That’s when he really became great.”

“You are both right and both wrong,” Kyle Cortez said. “Kobe is a great shot and he is a ball hog. And he did realize he couldn’t win on his own. So, he did start being more of a team guy. But, he only worked as part of a team for his own glory. That part never changed. It has always been about Kobe, not about team. And, because of that, Michael, Lebron, Duncan, and Bird will always be the better players.” Mitch, Todd, and Kyle had been friends since first grade. They all liked sports and often had talks like this one.

“How can I have two friends who are Kobe haters?” Todd asked. “And, besides, this magazine backs me up. See, it says right here that Kobe Bryant is simply the best. And, he didn’t even go to college to improve his skills. He came straight from high school.”

“That’s what I want to do,” Mitch said. “I want to go straight from high school to the NBA. That would be sweet.”

“Do you think that you could really do that, Mitch?” Kyle asked. “I know you are good, but no one from Madison H.S. has ever made it to the NBA. And, we have had some very good players.”

“There has to be a first person,” Mitch said. “Maybe that could be me.”

“Well…,” Kyle started.

Mitch laughed. “I’m just joking. I mean, yeah, I’d love to play in the NBA. But, I’m not a great player. Heck, I only have one more year left to play high school ball. And, I haven’t even had one scout come to see me. Great players go to the NBA because great players draw attention.”

Kyle said, “I’m glad you are just joking. I was thinking that you were going to be really disappointed. But, speaking of really good players, you did have a wild game last night. Did you see the stats? I still have them on my computer.” Kyle kept track of the stats for the high school basketball team. He had been in a wheel chair for years. When the boys were in grade school, he dove into a swimming pool and hit the bottom. He could not move his legs after that. Luckily, he could use his hands and he was really good with computers.

Kyle opened his computer. “Here’s last night’s game. You had a double-double, Mitch.”

Todd said, “I don’t have my contacts in. Can you read his stats to me?” Kyle read across the first row. Then Todd said, “Your stats are good, Mitch. But, I’m more impressed with how you are pushing off of my shoulder.” Todd showed Kyle a picture in the newspaper. Under the photo it said, “The great Mitch Milton rises again!”

Mitch looked at the picture. “You do make a good stepping stone, my friend! That’s what I call teamwork! You could teach Kobe a thing or two!”

The boys laughed and went back to looking at Kyle’s stats table.

What do you think?

1. Mitch says that Kobe is not a team player because he is a ball hog. But, the boys all agree that Kobe is a great shot. Some people say that it is a good thing for a team if a player who is a great shot has the ball a lot. What do you think about how a great shot can best be a team player?
2. Mitch says that, even though he would love to play in the NBA, he is not a great player. What do you think?

What would you do?

1. In their discussion, the boys describe different basketball players by how they play. There are a lot of other points they could use to describe these people. What other details would you use if you were describing a person who plays basketball?

Life Skills in This Story:

• Being part of a team
• Identifying interests and abilities
• Describing a person
• Identifying realistic job possibilities
• Asking for help when needed
• Reading abbrieviations
• Understanding quantity relationships
• Understanding ratios
• Understanding optical illusions
• Exploring situation-appropriate speech/actions
• Reading charts, tables, and graphs
• Calculating quantities
• Understanding sports statistics
• Scoring sports
• Getting enough sleep