Shawn Bradley

When I attended B.Y.U. Shawn Bradley was the star of the basketball team. I enjoyed watching him play at the collegiate level but like many others, I was pretty critical of his play once he arrived in the NBA. He was an impressive shot blocker but I was expecting him to put on some weight and be one of the most dominant centers of the game.

Bradley became a target for shorter players who wanted to dunk on him and was criticized frequently in the NBA. It wasn't until I saw this short ESPN video a couple years ago that I gained a ton of respect for the guy. I also appreciate Jeff Van Gundy more after hearing some of his insights.

I admire many great players for their athleticism and accomplishments on the court even though their life off the court may be a mess. Shawn is one guy who may not have met the high expectations we had for him when it comes to basketball but he gets the big picture and has his priorities right which is much more important in the long run.