Yesterday, Gilbert Arenas, a three-time all-star guard for the Washington Wizards, signed a six-year, $111 million contract to stay with his team. It sounds like another basketball star taking in big money, but news reports have said that Gilbert took about $15 million less than he was offered. He is, I think, an admirable example of an athlete concerned about someone other than himself, something that is getting rarer among big-name players.
Arenas turned down the extra money for a simple reason: he wanted the Wizards to have money to get more good players who could help them win a championship. Some might say that Gilbert is being selfish for just wanting to win, but I think he's a lot different from most athletes with his talent. Most guys think they can take the team to the top all by themselves, but Gilbert knows that he has to share the work. He's willing to give up a few extra points or rebounds to bring his team and the fans that support him the joy of winning in future years.
I think being this humble is important for all athletes. No matter how good you might be on your team or in your sport, you can't simply go it alone to bring more glory to yourself. In fact, the best way to get to this glory is to share the work and the fun, too. By doing this you do something better than just win the day's game: you make people feel good about being your teammate and make your sport a better one to play.
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