In basketball, and most other major sports, most fans are familiar with the concept of a ‘dog’ mentality. Not to be taken literally, this mentality is about being the ultimate competitor and carrying the same hunger and drive to win as a dog does to eat.
But for NBA legend Jerry West, he was no ‘dog’ during his playing days. Rather, he describes himself as more of a wolf who eats the dogs…
“I was not afraid. Everyone among competitive people, the word ‘dog’ comes up a lot … “that guy’s a dog”… Well, I was a wolf. I used to eat dogs.”
“The word ‘dog’ comes up a lot … Well, I was a wolf. I used to eat dogs.”
Jerry West had that WOLF mentality during his legendary career 😤
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/prgbKj9rja
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) July 9, 2023
It takes a special kind of athlete to succeed in the NBA, and Jerry West had everything going for him. As a 6’3″ guard who can score with ease, West was a stud from the very beginning and never went a single season without being named an All-Star.
During his 14-year career, he averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game on 47% shooting. More than anything, however, it was West’s competitive nature and hard work ethic that brought him amazing success and it’s a shame that we don’t see more of those qualities in our players today.
Jerry West Says Modern Players Are Soft
It has been decades since West retired as NBA superstar but he still frequently shares his thoughts on the state of the game today. Unsurprisingly, he’s unimpressed with the attitude of today’s players and even the general playstyle of the game as a whole
“In this sense, I’d rather see somebody make a beautiful pass, go in, and lay it up instead of four on-one, some guy runs behind the three-point line and shoots a three. The game is soft that way today. I don’t like it. I don’t think it makes for pretty basketball,” said West. “And I think, unless you have a great, great team late in the game, you’re gonna lose games, you’re taking points off the board.”
Of course, there’s no changing how things are now but West wants the world to know that he was built differently than most of these modern-day athletes. He was a predator on the court and his only goal was to cut your heart out for a win, no matter the cost.
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