Patrick Beverley Claims 50 Percent of NBA Players Don’t Like Basketball

Patrick Beverley Claims 50 Percent of NBA Players Don’t Like Basketball

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at May 5, 2023 at 7:19 AM
  • Patrick Beverley has claimed 50 per cent of NBA players do not love basketball
  • The Chicago Bulls guard said preparation tells him who doesn't love the sport
  • The veteran has played for the Lakers, Timberwolves, Clippers, and the Rockets

Chicago Bulls guard, Patrick Beverley has said half of NBA players don't love basketball.

Beverley is one of the most fierce and tenacious players in the league and has always spoken his mind. However, while his comments seem wild at first, he offered an interesting explanation.

Patrick Beverley, NBA, Bulls
Patrick Beverley has claimed 50 percent of NBA players don't love basketball, with the Chicago Bulls guard saying he can tell by their preparation in the NBA.. Photo by Michael Reaves.
Source: Getty Images

The veteran guard has played in the NBA since the 2012/13 season after starting his career overseas. He has played for the Lakers, the Clippers, the Rockets, and the Timberwolves.

He made the All-Defensive team three times in his career and prides himself on his defense. His style has seen him make a few enemies along the way, like Chris Paul and Damian Lillard.

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Beverley explains his NBA comment

In a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast, the guard said 50 per cent of NBA players don't love basketball, drawing a comparison to taking someone on a date, per CBS Sports.

"50 per cent and I'm being nice. Now can you have all that energy and put it in basketball? Preparation - how prepared are you? Do you know the coach's philosophy? Do you know what the coaches want from you? It might be different from what you want from you."

He added that players who don't love basketball are good at it.

"Most teammates I know who don't love basketball are the really [expletive] good ones - are the most skilled ones. It's the wildest [expletive] in the world."

Beverley is not the most skilled or athletic player in the world, but through sheer hard work, he's made an impact whichever team he's been on.

Beverley's message to Morant

Sports Brief earlier reported on Beverley sending Ja Morant a message after the Memphis Grizzlies star was seen flaunting a gun in an Instagram Live video.

He stepped away from the Grizzlies in March after the incident, prompting the NBA to begin investigations which resulted in a suspension for several games.

Discussing Morant's impact, Beverley said: "A lot of ways, the NBA needs Ja. I got video, my son scored his first basket he's ever scored. The first thing he did was the griddy. The first thing."
Authors
Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.