Letter to Shaq from Coach Brown

This has some great lessons for us all to live by

VIDEO: http://www.tout.com/m/9944wo

June 1, 1993 

 

Dear Shaquille, 

 

Congratulations on a great rookie year in the NBA.  I was so proud of you and especially in the manner that you conducted yourself. 

 

I shall never forget our first meeting in the mountains of West Germany, when you were only 13 years old.  You have grown not only in stature, but in talent, from that day when you were cut from the high school team, when they told you, you were too clumsy and to try soccer.  

 

Now, being constantly in the spotlight, you must be alert to all the pressures it brings.  Coach John Wooden knew how to handle fame better than anyone I’ve ever known.  He said, “The Coach must recognize that his profession places him in the public eye and he will at times, receive both unjustifiable criticism and underserved praise, and he must not be unduly affected by either.”  Live by this creed, Shaquille and you’ll never lose that contagious smile of yours. 

 

Don’t be content.  Continue to work on improving your game and as you’ve heard a thousand times over and over again, while playing at LSU:  Hard work pays off, and when the going gets rough on the team, remember our HIT philosophy at LSU; play hard, play intelligent, and play together—and everything works out for the best. 

 

Stay away from all distractions because concentration is imperative for ultimate success.  It is a supreme art that few ever master. 

 

Be a good listener.  One of the most consistent qualities of those that are labeled as extraordinary athletes is they have been coachable. There have been very few exceptions. 

 

Be careful of the parasites who, for selfish motives, want you as their friend.  Yes, some will even have visions of the dollar bills floating around.  Trust, but never cease to be vigilant.  Hold onto that school boy spirit that touched me so strongly when we met eight years ago—a spirit with its natural grace, easy dignity, and the blossoming buds of a genius on a basketball court. 

 

Make your dignity as tall as your body.  Never, ever drop it or sell it or become complimented out of it.  Respect others, even the most humble, and remember that above all else, you are a member of a group called mankind. 

 

Be a role model.  A lot of kids have absolutely no one in whom to turn, and what you do and say will be more than mere words or actions for the game plan that is their life. 

 

Affect mankind.  Affect your fellow man, and always for the good.  Shaquille, leave a legacy beyond trophies and statistics because, and I hate to say this but, your time will also pass and the glory you enjoy will only be a memory. 

 

So, be your brother’s keeper.  Lift him up when he has fallen; bandage him up when he is wounded. 

 

In body, he may not be as big as you, but in spirit, he is. 

 

Well, that’s my advice to you, Shaquille.  You really don’t need it.  You are what you are:  a good man, full of love. 

 

Love you, 

Coach Brown

 

Do you really want to be famous?

“I can make you famous” This quote is not as famous but I always think of your picture in the obituary

As a child I was introduced to the modeling profession and hated it. I hated it because of the faking you need to do. I loved the money $50 – $100/hr to take pictures. Boy was I fooled when I learned that you had to fake it a lot.

For me I had to pretend a man was my father while taking pictures with my real mother. This was very hard for me at the time because my Dad was still in my life at that point. I got paid for the job even though they did not use me for the print ad, and that is rare.

My mother God bless her heart that she was never the pushy type to make me do something like this when I was not comfortable with things like this. Don’t get me wrong I had more then enough things that she made me do and I am grateful for that.

We or at least I have experience a shock that really is no shock. I say it is not a shock because did we not think Michael Jackson would die? I did, I just did not think it would be any time soon. Why do you ask? Great question because Michael has been bigger then life for as long as I can remember. And not so large in life at the same time because I grew up being told by my pops that he is my cousin deep down the tree. I always remember thinking if he is our cousin how come he is not at any family reunions or why are we not living large? I know he is related because when my grandpa (pops) dad died his family the Jackson’s were there and they signed the Guest Book.

The real point of this blog is to ask the hard question of when has a child star lived life without issues? I already know that this is a loaded question because life has issues. So what makes child stars so special? I don’t know one that does not, usually they are big issues like drugs, drinking, relationship issues. I know we all have these issues but they seem to be worse with child stars.

In Michael’s case imagine growing up without being able to play at the park or go to school and make new friends? I can’t do it because his way of life is unimaginable to me. I don’t give him a pass but I understand. People are quick to talk about his skin being bleach. I can say one way or another, but what I do know is my cousins great grandpa had that same disease so I know it is real. It can never be proven with Michael because of his fame.

Look at ball players that go Pro after high school. Do they have issues? I only know of one and that is GNet (Kevin Garnet), and I think that has most to do with the fact that he was in boring Minnesota when he started playing Pro Ball. I don’t really know if that is true that he does not have issues, but it makes some sense to my simple mind.

I will end this blog with some good quotes:
“Say Say Say”
“Man in the Mirror”
“Heal the World”
“Black or White”

OBMO