One of the problems coaches face in their careers is to have players who do not know how to let go of the ball. Oftentimes, people see other basketball star players as selfish ones. People think that these players get most of the points because the ball stays in their hands most of the time. Somehow, this is a good point to think about.

However, not all basketball stars get high scores in games because they are being selfish. In most cases these basketball players are just too good for their offense. They play tough and smart.

To better visualize how selfish players are, look at the following:

10. He is overconfident.
Most of the time, people see a selfish player with insurmountable level of self-confidence. Why? It is because this type of player gives the impression of getting the attention of the crowd centered to him. This player loves to please the people and his outpouring level of confidence disables him to consider his teammates. He wants to do things on his own because he is too confident that he can pull things off.

Confidence is a powerful tool of players for them to play good and aggressive basketball, but too much is fairly bad enough. Your overconfidence can pull you down, and damage your relationship with your team. Overconfident players must be reminded to step back and think about acting responsibly.

9. He hates substitution.
As a player, you will always want to get out on the court and play basketball. A player cannot play the entire minutes of a ball game. Coaches go for strategic substitution multiple times during a game. One can observe that a player is selfish if he does not want to get out of the ball game, and be substituted by other teammates. He definitely hates substitution. A player can have his reasons, but coaches usually know what is best for the team in this particular game situation.

A player must learn to give in to other teammates. Bear in mind that players do not decide when they should get into the game, but coaches do.

8. He takes shots whenever he wants, even if the offense is not yet set up.
A selfish player decides by and for himself alone. Whenever he gets a touch of the ball, he lets go of it. He is not even thinking about setting up an offensive play. The worst part for the team is him to shoot the ball without waiting for his teammates for a possible set up play. Coaches usually get mad when their player throws useless shots, especially when the rebounders haven’t set up yet. The opportunity for a good offense is wasted. Imagine throwing awy a possession in that manner. That is a bad and stupid thing to do for a player, and a selfish player does not care about that.

7. He does not know how to pass at all.
If the player has no other reason of not passing the ball, perhaps, he does not know how to pass at all. This sounds really stupid, think about this: in one way or another, I can consider this player as selfish because he does not take the time to develop his passing skills. It is another way of saying, »Oh, he does not want to learn how to pass the ball because he does not want to pass t all.« Yes, he might be good at some other basketball skills, but if he does not know how to pass at all, he will do everything to get that ball into the basket at any stake. This is another way that he becomes selfish. He has to learn how to pass the ball around.

6. He is lazy in defense, but impulsive in offense.
Have you seen a basketball player who does not exert much effort in defense, but loves to catch and shoot the ball? This kind of player is a selfish one. He is lazy in defense, but impulsive in offense. All he cares about is too shoot the ball. I personally hate to see players like this, and if you want to be considered as a good basketball player, you have to be a complete one. You execute and exert the effort to defend, even more than to shoot the ball.

5. The ball stays too long in his hands.
Another sign that a player is selfish is when the ball stays too long in his hands. He gets that ball and think for awhile, and then dribbles the ball, run around, back and forth, finding a way to score. I think this is acceptable if it happens once in awhile, but if it occurs with frequency, that isn’t going to win games at all. Ball rotation is very important in setting up an offensive play. When it stays too long in the selfish player’s hands, the tendency is that his teammates would just watch him do his thing until their offense collapses.

4. He forces his way to the basket even though he is trapped.
Things even get worse if you see a player who forces his way to the basket when there is nowhere else he can go. The option for this one is to pass the ball. When the player does not do it, he is very much an egocentric selfish player. How can you not pass the ball when you see that you are going to be trapped? This is a certified selfish play. If you are in a threat of a possible defensive trap, move quickly, change direction, and reach out for your teammates.

3. He does not know the relevance of passing the ball.
Too sad, but a selfish player reflects ignorance of the relevance of passing the ball. If you truly understand the essence of letting go of the ball to a teammate, it would not be hard for you to pass the ball around. Passing is one of the fundamentals of basketball and it is very disappointing to see a player who does not take the importance of passing by heart.

2. He does not trust his teammates.
This is too obvious, but a selfish player only trusts himself, which is why he does not like to pass the ball. He corrupts the purpose of having a team. Trust is vital for a team to succeed. It can only be seen when players complements each other’s basketball skills.

1. He does not make a pass even though a teammate is open.
I take this one at the top of my list, because I think people can directly give the impression that a player is selfish when he does not pass the ball even though a teammate is open. Selfishness is really obvious in this case. This also distorts the purpose of passing the ball. In addition, passing would be perfect when another teammate is in position and left unguarded for a shot.

Now that you know the top signs of a selfish player, try your best not to become any of these ones. If you play for a team, you play unselfishly and recognize the capabilities of your teammates. Otherwise, play a sport that requires a single player if you want to be selfish and get most of the credit.

[info_box]Picture credit: willem! • Creative Commons Attribution[/info_box]