He's on FIRE!

WWJD?

No, not that one.

The Jesus that I’m talking about played for Lincoln High School and had a father that looked a whole lot like Denzel Washington sporting an afro.  Jesus Shuttlesworth’s real life counterpart is Ray Allen, guard for the Boston Celtics.  On February 10^th, Allen became the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history eclipsing Reggie Miller’s mark of 2,560 career 3’s.  This milestone further solidifies Allen’s case as the greatest shooter of all time.  Sure he’s 6’5” and blessed with incredible genetics and athleticism, but his accomplishments can be summed up in one word.

Practice.

It is widely known that Ray Allen is one of the hardest working players in the NBA and his regiment is extremely meticulous.  On game days, Allen is the first player on the court.  While the dancers are rehearsing and the ushers are preparing, he is there putting up shot after shot.  In an interview, Ray Allen said that he tries to shoot at least 250 jump shots on game day and on average spends 3 hours a day working on his game.

Sure, we all work more than 3 hours a day but when was the last time that you can say that you spent 3 hours practicing?  You may have spent a few hours making sales calls for your company but how much time did you spend crafting your pitch and working on your negotiating techniques?

Behind every act of greatness is a dedication to practice; Ray Allen is simply the most recent example.  Take a look at anyone – Oprah, Bill Gates, Tom Brady, Will Smith – and you will see countless hours of practice.  Ray Allen clearly understands the relationship between practice and greatness and he is now a record holder.  Conversely, Allen Iverson famously shunned the importance of practice in a press conference 5 years ago… he’s now playing basketball in Turkey.

Yes, that Turkey.