TeamWork

I know that I haven't written to you guys in a while and I know that most of you a heartbroken that its been a while since you've heard from me. With the season coming to an end and a lot of other things going on in my life it's been really hectic. Nothing really came to me either during these past couple of weeks that I felt was worthy of talking about. So I began to ask around to some of my family members and friends on what they felt like I should talk about. My mom like all mom's usually do gave me a great topic about the importance of teamwork in a basketball perspective, as well as in my family life and my faith. Everyone knows the definition of team work, but I don't think we really understand how much more we can accomplish by allowing others to help us out. In my profession, team work is everything. There's the old saying of the best "team" will win the game. They never say that the best "player" will win the game and that's usually for a reason. One person can't beat a team no matter how hard they try it just can't be done. For example one of the greatest players in basketball is Kobe Bryant. He had 81 points in a basketball game against the Toronto Raptors a few years ago and they happened to win the game as well. Sure Kobe had a remarkable game scoring wise and some people tend to say that he won that game singlehandedly. But a lot of people haven't taken a look at the box score of that game and seen that Smush Parker had 13 points, Chris Mihm had 12 points, and Lamar Odom had 8 points. The Lakers won that game by 18 points so without those 33 points by those 3 guys, Kobe would have just had an amazing game, but the better "team" would have won. I think Phil Jackson might have said it best, "The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each individual member is the team". Basketball  is definitely a love of mine and I'm blessed everyday to be able to go to work and get paid to play a "game". But team work is almost more important in my family life between my wife and I than almost anything else. I have to rely on her as much as she has to rely on me and we have to be there for each other to make our marriage better and better. Team work is a lot of sacrifice for the good of the "team". There's a lot that we must work on to keep our marriage and our communication going. There's plenty of times when I'm tired after a basketball game or from practice, and my wife wants to talk about "feelings". Now I know that a lot of guys hate to sit and talk about their feelings trust me I've been there. But that's the sacrifice that I am willing to make to show my wife that I love her and that I care about how she's feeling regardless of how tired I am. It's that sacrifice I believe that makes our "team" the best. Team Work in my faith is another area of my life that is extremely important. You may think, " How can you have team work in your faith". Team work to me in my faith is knowing that I am on the winning team. Knowing that I am on the best team. The team that never loses and the team that everyone should be playing for, and thats God's team. Without my faith and trust in God, nothing I have done this far would be possible. If he had not gave his life for me, then I would still be leading a lonely life and I would be playing for the losing team. That team work and bond that I have with my God is the most important thing to me. The amount of confidence that God puts in me and the will that he puts in me strives me to be great not only for myself, but for the team of Believers/ people out there who are looking to someone to help them find their way. I feel that everyone should find that sense of balance in every area of their life on how to help others, but also allow those same people to help you as well. We must always be willing to give as much as and even more than we are willing to take, and by doing this we allow ourselves to grow in our family life, our profession, and our faith. 

Legacy

I'm reading Tony Dungy's book Uncommon and came across a section in the book talking about Legacy. So it made me wonder, " What do I want my legacy to be". Legacy to a lot of people is what you leave behind for everyone to remember you by. We all have a different view on what kind of legacy we want to leave. Some businessman want to be known by their numbers and percentages of growth that they helped their company maintain. Pro athletes and a lot of people in my profession get asked this question a lot and most of the answers are the same, "I want to be considered one of the best ever to play my sport" . Now as a competitor sure that is a great answer and that is something we all strive for in our profession. But there is so much more out there for us than the lasting legacy of being a "great" athlete. For me, I want to be known for more than just a good or great basketball player. I want to be known as a godly, honest, hardworking, and family man that I believe that I am. I would like my legacy to be much more than, "Oh yeah Mike Singletary was a stand out basketball player." I want people to say Mike Singletary was/ is a man of God who always exuded positivity and was willing to help others in any way possible. I mean that is what we were put on this Earth for right, to be servants and to love each other even in our faults. To pick each other up when we are down and feel like we can't seem to get up. I know that I want to be that person lending out that hand to help those people get back on their feet and point them in the right direction. There's so much more to being a professional athlete because your playing career only lasts for a short period of time. So with my time of being a professional athlete dwindling down as we speak, I want to continue to use this platform that God has placed me on to do great things. To encourage, to inspire, and to help anyone out there who is searching for which way to go and how to get there. So I guess the real question that we should all be thinking about is, "What legacy will I leave". What legacy will you leave for everyone to remember you by?

The NBA D- League Grind

This season has brought many surprises for me and has helped me grow tremendously in my faith. There's been many things that I don't understand, but have to realize that I am not in control and God's will is being done in my life and he knows what's best for me. There have been many ups and downs throughout this season, but we have managed to overcome all the obstacles that have been in front of us. I was first traded to the Erie Bayhawks earlier in the season, which really shook me up mentally. Don't get me wrong I was really excited about the opportunity to continue to play the game that I love, but it was the first time I've ever been traded. It made me feel as if I had done something wrong, or that the Vipers didn't want me. But I soon realized that it's just part of the business that exists in this game that I love. I was excited about the new opportunity and felt like I was going to succeed tremendously with the Bayhawks, considering the amount of talent they had. All and all, I enjoyed my experience in Erie and met a bunch of people that will be lifelong friends. Erie didn't go the way that I had planned, but I will always be grateful to the organization for giving me the opportunity. I had a feeling that a deal was going to happen, but I had no idea if I was going to be in that deal. I got the call a few days ago that I would be going back to the team that drafted me and back to my home state. I had mixed emotions running through me at the time. I once again had the feeling as if I didn't do enough for the Erie Bayhawks and felt like they didn't want me. At the same time, I had a feeling of joy because I was going back to a situation where I felt really comfortable and felt like I excelled in the Vipers system. It's been great to come back home to a situation where I feel comfortable and to come back to a coaching staff/ organization that wants the best for you. I'm excited about what the rest of the season holds for me, and the Vipers. I just know that if I continue to have faith, and trust in God's plan, then everything will be completely taken care of.