Staying mentally tough during the lockout can prove to be an intense test of the basketball mental toughness of NBA players. The lack of match action can affect the physical condition of players, along with the fact that they are being deprived of their jobs by their employers, taking the mental game basketball is to a whole new level. Players need to find new avenues to manage this time of crisis, as they will certainly not be excused for under performing when the lockout does actually end, and the official National Basketball Association matches do begin.
Basketball players are trying to find out new leagues for staying mentally tough during the lockout. According to ESPN for instance, Kobe Bryant’s agents and representative team are tying up some final steps of negotiations with the Italian team Virtus Bologna. This will bring the Los Angeles Lakers’ star player to the Italian basketball league during the NBA lockout.
Deron Williams is a point guard who played for Utah Jazz before the NBA lockout started. He has been a gold medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics and a two time All Star, so when the NBA lockout started, it would naturally be devastating for a player of his stature. However, as the mental game of basketball requires constant and unwavering application. He has thus joined Besiktas JK in the Turkish Basketball League, signing a one year contract for 5 million dollars (net income) to play in the second-tier level of pan-European professional basketball, the Eurocup.
Kenyon Martin was a one time first overall draft pick, but a currently unrestricted free agent. He chose to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, and in the process became the highest paid basketball player in the history of Chinese basketball.
Tony Parker has been a celebrity point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, but the lockout forced him to join the Ligue Nationale de Basketball’s ASVEL Villeurbanne, going back to the country of his birth.
The common thread between the above stories is that players used a logical approach that would be endorsed by mental coaches dealing with sports psychology for basketball. Instead of waiting for the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball players’ Association to resolve their various differences, they chose to apply basketball psychology – staying fitter than the rest would only make them among the best.
Mental Coaches can help players come to terms with the changing environment of basketball today – revenue sharing disagreements can actually bring an entire season to a grinding halt. Using sports psychology for basketball can help them to decide and convince themselves that the relative lack of glamor and finesse in the basketball leagues of other nations cannot take away the fact that they are great opportunities for players who need match fitness. All they need to do is to get out of their comfort zone and try living in a new country temporarily, till the NBA lockout is sorted out. After all, it all boils down to the basketball mental toughness of players to adapt to new circumstances.
