Andre Drummond Showed Tough Love To Young Players Using Himself As An Example Of What Not To Do

Veteran center Andre Drummond recently exercised a player option to remain with the Chicago Bulls for the 2023-24 season. Drummond just completed his 11th season in the NBA and, after two All-Star appearances and four rebounding titles, the 29-year-old has settled into a complementary role as a valued backup center in the league.

With that as the backdrop, Drummond recently spoke to and coached a group of young players with an overarching message of consistency. It was captured on video with a motivational bent.

“To be pouting on the bench, making faces, not cheering your f***ing teammates on when we’re down 8 the entire game, come back and go up by 3, and you’re not celebrating that,” Drummond said. “I’m gonna tell you something. Fellas, I was that guy. I was a $100 million guy. I was pouting. I was upset when I wasn’t playing. And I had a bad attitude. I went from $100 million to a f***ing league minimum… They don’t care how many rebounds you get. How many threes you make. They care about you being as a person. Are you a good teammate? Are you a good locker room guy? Are you someone they can count on each and every night?”

Drummond can speak with clear authority here, and he acknowledged that he was using his personal experience as a player who was formerly making top-tier money before finding himself unwanted by teams outside of being a minimum player, largely due to his effort and attitude rather than his skill. This is a valuable message to players of any age, but especially for young players entering the next phase of their careers at any level. Drummond clearly hopes they can learn from his mistakes so they don’t have to go through what he did in being humbled by the business of the NBA.