Becoming a Professional Basketball Player

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Becoming a Professional Basketball Player As a child, I loved to imitate NBA greats like Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and David Thompson. Growing up in town that was rich with basketball tradition, I knew that I wanted to make it to the NBA and become a star. Not knowing if I had what it takes to make it to that level, I began my quest at an early age. Becoming a professional basketball player is extremely difficult for some, but for others it just seems to fall in their laps (eHow). My first experience playing organized basketball began when I was in the fifth grade on an after school program in the old armory. We played every Saturday morning and I remember that this is where I became the best point guard ever. At least that was the mentality I had because I thought I knew where my basketball career was headed. Little did I know at that time, the odds of me becoming a professional NBA star were not in my favor. Nevertheless, I continued on with my dad’s support and mentoring to be the best player the Arkansas River Valley had ever laid eyes on. Now that I had my goal of becoming an NBA player in front of me, I wanted to know how to get there. I began by asking my dad questions about salary, work environment, would it be easy to grow as player and what type of education I would need. NBA Salary Expectations As I continued throughout junior high and High school, my attention was quickly drawn to the amount of money that professional players made for playing a sport they love. Salary expectations for this profession exceeded my wildest dreams and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what I could do if I made that kind of money. In 2010, the average salary for an NBA player was $3.2 million per year (Basketball Tips Made for the Basketball Lovers Like You). This is just the average? What would a star such as Kobe Bryant or LeBron James
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