I was a rookie a decade ago. Things were simple but hard. Distractions were low as social media was in its early stages. And young players weren’t given much time of day. Either you could hang with the big boys or you couldn’t.
Fast forward a decade and business is booming! The influx of young talent coming into the league is growing rapidly. A couple of factors made this possible;
- New ownership + rebranding + growth mindset = hottest ticket in town
- Increased salaries (Minimum wage increased by 210%!)
- NBL X NBA connection (NBA scout regularly courtside at games)
- Basketball is the fastest growing sport in Australia
Safe to say life is good!
Talented youngsters are foregoing college to make a name for themselves on home soil. With eyes from all over the world watching the league, it’s become a great investment.
Which brings me to the main topic of today, what would I do differently if I were a young gun entering my first year into the league. Here are 5 things I would focus on:
- Live with a teammate
- Live in the gym
- Learn to cook
- Save, save and save
- Take care of your body
Live with a teammate
Your costs go down 50% (roughly). Big cheat code. 1 house (apartment), 2 people, half the spending. Pretty simple.
Picking the right roommate is key, you don’t want to kill each other after a week. And preferably a teammate who’s around your age.
Live in the gym
You’re young, no real commitments, you gotta live and breathe basketball. Half the battle is showing up so go to EVERYTHING. Extra sessions, the weight room, the skill work, everything. Days off aren’t in your vocabulary yet. When they give you the “option”, decline and go get your reps in.
“The great ones aren’t extraordinary, they just do the ordinary extra.” – Kenny Smith.
Your roommate becomes your accountability partner as you have someone to go through the grind with. You become the average of the 5 people you hang around, so pick people who are going to challenge you and have similar goals.
Learn to cook
You’ll be bad at first but that’s okay. When you first learned basketball you weren’t very good either, but over time and with reps you became better. Cooking is the same. You’ll want to learn for a couple of reasons;
- A lifetime habit
- Save a lot of $$
- You will impress girls, and not just your mum
There’s no downside to learning how to cook. It’s a skill you will need the rest of your life, so start early. The savings are huge! A nice restaurant will set you back roughly $120 per head. equal to 4 meals at home.
Pool together a weekly shopping budget, get the essentials, one cooks, one cleans, alternate days, voila, a winning recipe.
Save, save and save!
50/30/20. What do these numbers mean? Let me explain;
- 50% should be spent on everyday living. This is your rent, bills, food etc. If you’re spending more than half your pay on these expenses you probably need to re-evaluate your situation. Don’t go poor trying to look rich.
- 30% of your income should go straight to savings. Basketball isn’t forever, so save for a rainy day. Every investment book out there will tell you it’s not about timing the market, it’s time in the market. Start young, be consistent and let the compound effect take the lead. So don’t be careless, save 30% (or as much as you can) of your pay and put it to work.
- 20% of your pay is to enjoy yourself. Buy shoes, clothes, gadgets, whatever. Live a little. You’ll appreciate the little things even more.
If you save 30% of everything you make, you’ll never be poor. A rule of thumb I learned when I was 10 and will never ever forget it.
Take care of your body
Your body is your biggest asset. Think of yourself as a F1 race car. Finely tuned machines that requires the best of the best. You don’t put “ordinary” in, only the highest grade will produce maximum output.
In basketball terms, this means daily maintenance; stretching, weights, and ice baths. Building a good routine now to ensure little niggles don’t become issues down the track is worth its weight in gold. Understand your body, understand what you need to function and build a routine. Your 30 year old self will love you for it.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat. If I were to do it again this would be my blueprint.
The league has never looked better with young talent storming through the gates every year. Getting in is the easy part, staying around is the challenge. Take these pointers on board and you’re well on your way to having a long successful career.
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