Motivating Moments: Ray Allen’s top-level preparation

Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” You can bet that was never an issue with NBA Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen.

Allen made his mark by being one of the game’s all-time best 3-point shooters. But he didn’t get there by luck. Even as Allen made 10 All-Star teams and won two NBA championships, his work ethic in the gym was unchanged. Allen, with all of his success and achievements, practiced and prepared like he was a high school kid trying to make the team.

This is a great video from Colin Stanton via YouTube. It’s narrated by Alan Stein, who regularly contributes to Winning Hoops and our sister publication, Coach & Athletic Director. Listen to how Stein describes Allen’s work ethic.

In 2016, Allen wrote on The Players’ Tribune:

In every locker room you’ll ever be in, everybody will say all the right things. Everybody says they’re willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to win a title. But this game isn’t a movie. It’s not about being the man in the fourth quarter. (And) It’s not about talk. It’s getting in your work every single day, when nobody is watching.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. The men who you are going to win championships with are all going to be very different people. What makes them champions is the boring old habits that nobody sees. They compete to see who can be the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.

The next time your star players think they have nothing left to work for, remind them of Ray Allen. The best athletes are the best at preparing for competition.