There are a total of 450 players in the league, the big stars are nothing more than a few dozen, in addition to the second and third line stars, and then remove the sixth, seventh and eighth people on the bench, the rest are basically the edge players outside the rotation lineup, the existence of these players at the bottom of the food chain, not only the green leaves lining the flowers, everyone's different situation is the true reflection of the survival of most players.
Lakers star Robert Thackeray was one of the majority.
His father played rugby and his mother played basketball, but except for the eventual growth of 2.13 meters, Thackeray did not inherit a particularly outstanding athletic talent, and at the age of seven, his parents divorced, and he moved to Canada with his mother and became a Canadian citizen.
After 4 years of playing in the NBA, I didn't have a good time. Not only sitting on the bench, taking into account the guard water dispenser, but also responsible for waving towels to celebrate for teammates, even the cheerleaders and mascot work are also covered, becoming a beautiful man who can be cut into a collection by the performance art on the bench, and the top ten balls where the Lakers are selected, there will be their hard performances, so the fire, the jianghu people call towel brothers, Sati or Saki stone.
In the NBA, it is a dragon set, but in high school and college, it is a figure that cannot be underestimated. High school has represented Canada in international competitions. When he was a student at Gonzaga University in the United States, he was the main center of the varsity team and the second largest in the history of the school. But in the eyes of scouts, this is not enough to exchange for a good pick. Mediocre physical fitness and lackluster offensive means only allowed him to be picked by the Lakers in the second round with a total of 60 picks.
Thackeray is not alone, there is a frustrated person like him in every team, he is fully worthy of the epitome of the little people in the sports world who struggle with dreams and reality, and they practice their own philosophy and survival rules while wandering.
As if and Kobe, James, these kings of superstars do not coexist in a world at all, all-stars, MVP, scoring kings, has never been something he dares to luxury, for people like him with limited talent and general qualifications, if there is no special care of fate, the championship may be out of reach, so when the dream has become unrealistic, or first consider how to mix with a stable playing time and a large contract with a considerable income.
He works hard, he works hard, he is dedicated. Training is not late, not slack, not lazy, after the game to practice, carving, before the game, after the game, study the video, with a smile to ask the seniors for advice, once on the field, even for a few seconds, attack and defense should be more invested than others, the attitude is too correct to be picky. But it was always unlucky not to win too many opportunities from the coach, starting a total of 35 games in four years, and the highest score was only 15 points.
His ability is really limited, there is little room for improvement, the professional ceiling is visible, it is inevitable that he will be coldly received or deported, and at the end of the second season, he has been delegated as many as 6 times.
The average professional lifespan of NBA players is less than 5 years, and too many people disappear after fighting. He experienced the cruelty of competitive sports, those who wandered in and around the siege, shuttled the players, or lofty ambitions, or camps, discouraged inside, escaped, outside the determined, jumped in. His teammate david Stockton in college belonged to the latter, and it took a lot of effort to climb over the high wall.
Fearfulness because of precariousness, fear of being suddenly traded like goods, was the most common state of anxiety, he had heard it, he had seen it, and he knew too well the pain of displacement. Therefore, behind the cheerfulness on the bench every time is the bitterness of more than enough and insufficient strength. Mitsui Shou's sentence: "Coach, I want to play" is simply the loud cry of Thackeray in real life in the bitterness.
But he was always smiling and didn't frown. He's certainly not a good athlete, but he's definitely a perfect good guy.
Good temperament, good personality, passion, vitality, always full of warm smiles, and the enthusiasm of the brother who is called brother to everyone, so that he naturally becomes the most popular player in the dressing room.
Teammates said they barely saw him angry, and the only time he lost his temper was because of wizards' gutery foul on Nick Young, who was playing at the Lakers at the time.
In 2012, the rookie year, Thackeray wanted to use 12 as the jersey number, but in order not to make it difficult for the new signing Howard who joined later, he thoughtfully gave up.
He had a very good personal relationship with Nash and Gasol, and every three or five minutes, he brought his family to a family gathering. There is even an interesting story of buying a cow in a joint venture with Carman and others.
On and off the field, the relationship with teammates is harmonious. However, the chicken ribs of the business level still made him difficult to escape the doom of being traded. In September 2016, Thackeray joined the Pelicans, and in October he played with the team in China, was cut again, and went to Japan.
In the Japanese league, the crow immediately turned into a phoenix, the coach, teammates all kinds of pets, enjoyed the treatment of superstars that have never been enjoyed in the United States, and also participated in the All-Star Dunk Contest, and now the life is smart and happy.
Trees die, people move to life, Thackeray finally found his Own Rome, the bald head, tattooed double flower arms, often waving towels Thackeray has become a beautiful landscape in memory.