Playground All-Americans (How there's a cat in every hood with NBA talent)

"Don't waste away on the playground!"

Wilma Rudolph once said, "Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us." Winston Churchill gave it to us like this, "Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." Then the big homie Confucius shut it down with, "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

Sports fans all over the world become fascinated with the talents of boyz like LeBron, Kobe, Melo and most importantly Jordan in his prime. The rest of the world had to wait until these cats burst unto the college or professional scene to get a glimpse at their unbelievable talent. People livin' in the ghetto see it everyday right out of their kitchen windows in the cages in the projects. In the hood they’re called Playground All-American's!

There are duns right now playin' in cages all over the country that have the talent to make any NBA roster in the league. The problem is, they didn't handle their business and got left behind. In order to make it to the next level a boy has to go to class and make the grades in order to become illegible to play so that they can be seen. Unfortunately, not everyone has the discipline or the support system at the crib to get it done.

I don't know what it is but some kids can look at their circumstances and make the decision early on that they're not goin' to live the rest of their lives in poverty. Then there are others that don't find the circumstances all that bad and never do anything about it. That's why it's so important for boyz to have support systems to help them understand that they have the talent and the opportunity to make something of themselves. The support system consists of not only parents but coaches and administrators at the school that recognize the raw talent and act on it. That goes for non-athletes as well playboy.

I'm not talkin' about just makin' it to league bruh. I'm talkin' about usin' sports to be able to go to college for free which opens up all kinds of opportunities for cats. Once a kid is in school he/she is exposed to all types of coaches and administrators that will be able to guide them into a new world. However, the challenge is gettin' this kid off of the playground and into the gymnasium to start the process. Otherwise, they'll waste away in the cages.

The And 1 Street Ball Series was a great window into the world of the Playground All-American that we've known to exist for years. I'm always saddened to know that there are guys with the talent of  NBA caliber playin' in the projects for free everyday. For whatever reason some kids choose to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them. While others aren’t be able to overcome the cards they were dealt.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! That's why I ride so hard for cats like Lance Stephenson bruh because I know the struggle that a boy had to go through just to make it to the league. Not only is a cat dealin' with the poverty issue but he's also avoidin' the land mines in the hood too. You got the gang scene, the drug scene and the plain ole hatin' cats tryin' to keep you in the hood too. And the crazy thing about it, it's all comin' at a boy at the same time.

So guess what? That's when the hood lieutenants take over! See the lieutenants are the cats that run the block or the gangs dependin' upon where you're from. They see a boy's got potential and they put the word out that this cat has somethin' special and he's gonna make it out the hood to represent the hood. From that point on they protect a boy and make sure that he has sneakers and gear to get to where he's goin'! That's why it's not that easy to get rid of the entourage once they make it because they owe them. So when these media type cats start blastin' a boy for havin' the wrong cats with them when they do make it they sound stupid. You can't diss the cats that made sure you made it out of the hood good or bad. That's real talk!

 Nobody gets to choose their parents or the level of their parent’s education. Nobody gets to choose the neighborhood that they were raised in or the influences good or bad that they were raised around. More often than not socioeconomics and Big Momma will be the deciding factor. Socioeconomics puts the ball in play and many times will determine how fast it moves and then there’s Big Momma doing all of the praying. With that being said, we need more daddy’s prayin' and participatin' with these coaches to help lower the roster of Playground All-American‘s across the country.

Believe me bruh, it doesn't pay to be known as a playground legend because hood status doesn't change your address. It's cool to be like "Cheers" where everybody knows your name but why not change your circumstances while everybody's screamin' your name? Stop me when I start lyin'!

 Holla At Ya Boy!
JayGravesReport
#thebestdressedmaninmedia
Get @  me on Twitter:@jaygravesreport
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheJayGravesReport
Instagram: JayGravesReport
The caption under the photo is real talk!