The NBA all-star game featured a new format this season, with two players (Stephen Curry and LeBron James) becoming team captains and choosing their squad’s, and this year Washington Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal became a member of Team LeBron. After King James himself chose the youngster for his team, Beal dropped 14 points on 5-10 shooting from the field and 4-8 from beyond the arc. Not only did he have a great experience on the court with Team LeBron defeating Team Stephen 148-145 and LeBron leading the way with 29 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and the all-star game MVP.
But Beal also had a lot of fun and learned a lot behind the scenes, as Team LeBron prepared for the game and as they celebrated the victory on Sunday night.
The team prepared with a practice on Saturday and played their competitive game on Sunday night, and the young superstar from St. Louis, Missouri learnt a lot in that short amount of time from the greatest player in today’s game, LeBron James.
Beal talks playing alongside James
Although the Washington Wizards are Eastern Conference rivals to LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers team, Bradley Beal still took the time to appreciate playing with King James during the short time in the 2018 NBA all-star weekend.
Beal on James: “He’s an unbelievable teammate, first and foremost… being on his team for two days, that was an unbelievable experience.
To see his preparation, his focus, his mentality, what he does to take care of his body before and after games. That’s a true testament of a Hall of Famer and one of the best ever to play the game.”
It’s great for a young player to not just idolize the brilliance LeBron possesses on the court but what he does off the court to keep his body in such great condition.
With many injuries devastating young players' careers over the years, seeking the highest level of health and conditioning while playing professional basketball at the highest level is a very smart thing for Beal to focus on. A player with a bright future like him would be best to avoid any possible injuries or setbacks throughout his career.
Perfect tandem?
With Bradley Beal appreciating the time he had with LeBron James during all-star weekend, it would be crazy to think of how great he would be if he became a permanent teammate of LeBron James. While right now there is no chance that they will share the court together this season, in the future with the possibilities of trades and signings, if they were to become teammates they would be a great tandem. LeBron’s facilitating ability would work brilliantly with Beal’s ability to shoot the three and cut to the basket. They both work well defensively also, being two-way players. So just imagine them as teammates in the future - it would spell trouble for all opponents.
