Why making an impact on his AAU players is important to Bradley Beal’s legacy
Why impacting his AAU players is important to Beal’s legacy originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Bradley Beal is the Wizards’ franchise player, has a wife and three sons at home, and has become synonymous with D.C. sports over the last decade. But one off-the-court aspect of his life is something he emphasizes as he looks to shape his legacy: mentoring and developing players on his AAU team, Bradley Beal Elite.
Beal took over the team, which is based in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, in 2017 and has made a serious point of emphasis on molding the young men into the best players and people they can be.
“Everybody who knows me knows my entire summer, my schedule is based around my AAU schedule,” Beal said this week. “Even with my workouts, everything I do is based around my AAU schedule because I love those kids so much. Not even just my kids, but being around the entire circuit of kids.”
Don’t believe that the Elite means a lot to Beal? Check out the impassioned speech he gave them last summer after a game. The speech was centered around unselfishness on the court and quickly went viral for its message that the biggest impact on the game often isn’t indicated by point total.
When asked about the viral speech, Beal explained that his passion for the kids he coaches often comes out in ways that aren’t exactly pretty, but he sticks with them so long as they get the point across. That’s the kind of fire Beal holds for his team – it’s not merely a hobby for him.
“I didn’t think of myself to be a role model-type player for kids,” Beal said. “I’m just trying to be the best version of Brad Beal I can possibly be…to hear that from my kids, kids I’ve coached – Darius [Garland] to Jayson [Tatum], like Jayson always said, ‘Brad’s my favorite player,’ – that trips me out.
“It trips me out all the time, but it’s very humbling for me. It means the world to me because that’s what I want my legacy to be, like what kind of impact did I leave on you? What kind of impact did I leave on my team? What kind of impact did I leave on my kids?”
Several players, such as NBA stars like Cleveland’s Garland and Boston’s Tatum, in addition to current college standouts like North Carolina’s Caleb Love, have praised Beal for the impact he had on them during their youth playing days. Even his current teammate in Washington, Jordan Goodwin, has explained his respect for Beal for the way he prides himself on youth development.
Beal, 29, is nearing the end of his 10th season in Washington as the team’s go-to scoring option at shooting guard. Once the offseason hits for the Wizards, he will once again shift his focus to St. Louis and to Bradley Beal Elite, where he’ll continue to mold the lives of budding basketball stars in their formative years. It’s where, after all, he wants his legacy to be centered.
“I embrace being able to be around them because that was a promise I made to coach Gray in 2017,” Beal said of Rich Gray, who he started playing under as a kid and took over the AAU team from in 2017. “I decided to take over the team. He was like, ‘This is yours, you can’t just put your name on it.’ So to be able to be where I am, like my feet where I am, that legacy portion of it – that’s what I care about the most. What kind of impact did I leave on these kids?”
