LA Lakers talisman LeBron James reckons culture in any team’s success is of paramount importance. James believes one can players like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Allen Iverson, and Jesus Christ could be their coach but they ain’t going to win if they don’t have the right culture within the team.
It is well known that players only flower when the culture and environment in the dressing room are right. The senior players, coaches, think tank, and management all play a key role in setting up the seeds for success.
James believes after a team has a proper culture, then things like skills, talent and hard work come into the picture. Meanwhile, Akron Hammer is known to be a leader within the group and always looks to get the best out of his teammates. James has always paid special importance to maininting the right environment in the team.
On the latest episode of the Shop, James said, ”Definitely, culture first, and then if you can blend that with the talent and the right pieces it literally is the gateway to being successful for a long period of time.
“I can go back to when I was drafted at 18 and made my debut with Cleveland, there wasn’t any culture,” he continued. “And that’s no knock on anybody that was there or whatever the case may be but there was no culture.
James admitted that he has sleepless nights when he knows not every player has the same agenda on the team.
“I’m obsessed with it, with win or bust. What makes me have sleepless nights is when you don’t have everyone that feels the same way on your club.
James feels a player would want to give his 120% on the court if the culture within the team is right and then he would want to push the envelope.
“Well, you can have guys that come from different clubs and different teams, and they’ve played losing basketball for years. Like, literally, I don’t give a f**k who’s on that club.
“You can have Jordan. You can have Shaq, Allen Iverson, and Jesus Christ could be their coach. They’re gonna lose. They’re gonna lose. It’s, like, literally the culture.
“But you can get a player from a losing culture, and you can see literally in the first couple weeks if they really, like, want it or they don’t. You can sense it.”
