Examples of Athletes with talent but no work ethic?

Basketball: Shawn Kemp
Football: Ryan Leaf

 

Robert Horry.

 

Derrick Coleman and Joe Barry Carrol come to mind as talented but very unmotivated.

 

Kenny Thomas?

 

I wouldn't call Kenny Thomas a great player.

Larry Bird would be a better example. He did have natural passing skills but he worked hard to become a great player in every other facet of the game.

 

http://www.sportspickle.com/features/volume1/04172002-kemp.html

 

Charles Barkley.

 

In the first category I would put Eddie Griffin. In the second category I would put Magic Johnson since he wasn't that fast and couldn't jump very high. Larry Bird would fit too but I think Magic was better since he was more versatile.

Baseball is also full of people who fit into the second category especially finesse pitchers who rely on placement, adjusting speeds and knowledge of the hitters.

In general though nearly all great atheletes have had great work ethics to maximize or even transcend their physical talents. There were plenty of players who could jump as high as Jordan but none of them had the will to perfect so many aspects of the game like him. Same with Hakeem.

 

Oh please. Barkely got fat towards the end of his career, and he definitely got bloated after it. REGARDLESS, Barkley worked his ass off in the games, and you don't get to be one of the 50 greatest to ever play in the NBA by not practicing - A LOT. I think you are focusing too much on his physical appearance in the later stage of his career.

 

Pete Rose worked hard, and seemingly had to real talent.

 

He could've been putting him in the latter category.

 

David Wells

 

John Daly

 

um... work ethic means practice right?? and workout regularly?? I can think of an NBA athelete who could care less about practice off my head

On the other hand... I would say maybe Stockton?

 

Kemp was very good and motivated for a few years.

 

Anyone who pitches a perfect game while possibly drunk definitely deserves to be mentioned in this thread.

 

Greg "Cadillac" Anderson. The guy had size and game I wonder if his non-work ethic was the cause of him not achieving greatness or playing for the Spurs had something to do with it.

 

having great court vision, a great understanding of the game, great passing skills and being one of the best shooters ever doesn't pass for talent any more?


or are we just talking physical talent versus mental talent, in which case i would say the two can't be separated. some guys get blessed with physical skills. some guys get blessed with finesse skills like shooting/passing a football. some guys get the mental skills to see the game better than others. anything that is pretty clearly something you were born with is a skill to me and a skill from any of the categories isn't any better than a skill from any other category.

i'm not exactly sure where i'm going with this but that comment seems like one of those "he got the most out of his skills" comments that downplays the fact that having the mental and finesse skills to make up for physical deficiencies is no different than having physical skills and not the others. both are just things you either have and neither is more laudatory than the other. bird had craploads of the brains/finesse stuff.


and derrick coleman would probably be my pick off the top of my head.