Dear NBA rookie,

You have nothing to prove. As you start your NBA career this month, remember that you are one of the top basketball players in the country and you got here through discipline, hard work, and exceptional performance. You deserve to be here because of the many years of sacrifice you’ve made to train your body and hone your skills. You deserve to be here because, when you got drafted, your family threw that big celebration party for you and your tipsy uncle told you through boozy breath what a phenom he used to be back in the day. And you deserve to be here or your team wouldn’t have made you a millionaire.

Wait. I take that back. You have everything to prove. You are going to be competing for playing time every single day against every other rookie on your team. Even if you beat them out, you’ll be competing against veterans on your team for playing time. Then, when you actually step onto the court to play in your first NBA game, you’ll be playing against experienced and savvy masters who will use your inexperience, nerves, and arrogance against you.

So, yeah, you have nothing to prove – and everything to prove.

Welcome to rollercoaster ride that is your rookie year. It will be a rush of confusing paradoxes, conflicting emotions, competing options, and dubious advice from crusty been-there old-timers. Like me.

I entered my rookie year nervous about adapting to new people and a new hometown, but also eager to face the challenge of kicking up my play to another level. I found that the best way to deal with the jitters was for me to focus on setting personal goals rather than think about the expectations others put on me. And, man, were there a lot of expectations: I’d been the first person drafted and the media directed intense attention at me about what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. All the hype left me thinking that this was mine to screw up. But before each game I said to myself, I’m going to score this number of points, block this number of shots, grab this number of rebounds. It didn’t matter whether or not I actually achieved those numerical goals because it helped me achieve a different aim: keeping me internally calm and motivated to do my best.

Deandre Ayton (22) and Marvin Bagley III, the top two picks in the 2018 NBA Draft face each other in preseason. Photograph: Ross D. Franklin/AP

Rookies did get hazed, just like in the movies, but it was all very mild and good-natured. Rookies sometimes wore outlandish clothing on our road trips. Pink three-piece suits or clothes with giant polka dots were common. Sometimes rookies just ran errands for the vets. Full disclosure: because I was the starting center, I was never hazed, but that didn’t stop me from hazing others when I became a veteran. When Magic Johnson joined the Lakers as a rookie, he would bring me my daily issue of the New York Times at training camp.

The biggest surprise for me was that the NBA wasn’t that different than college basketball. Mostly it was about adjusting to my new teammates and getting used to a different style of officiating. It took me about 10 games before I figured it all out then began dominating as I had in college.

Today’s rookies have it both easier and tougher. I told you there would be confusing paradoxes.

Basketball today is much more popular than it was when I was a rookie. We had a terrible TV contract, which meant we were routinely pre-empted for whatever they hoped would bring in better ratings. Curling, maybe? Competitive moustache waxing? Today, the NBA competes with the NFL and is broadcast worldwide. That gives rookies a lot more exposure and financial opportunities, but also a lot more pressure to perform well or be replaced.

One major difference today is that the NBA makes a sincere effort to protect rookies from the professional and personal challenges that they will face. When I was a rookie, we had team meetings to discuss issues, but they were nowhere near the depth and breadth that they are today. The NBA holds league meetings with rookies to help them with everything from financial planning to lifestyle changes to relationships with fans. Seminars on career development for off-season are offered. Retired players are brought in to help advise rookies on these concerns. A few years ago, I attended such a meeting, answering questions and offering advice when I could.

Generally, I get asked about money, education, and politics. Regarding money: even if a rookie plays only the average 4.8 years, he will make about $25m. That attracts a lot of sharks. I trusted the wrong people at one time and paid a hefty price for it. Now I have wonderful management that has allowed me many new and fulfilling opportunities. It’s crucial that you do your research before trusting your money or your career to anyone else. Don’t just look at their self-aggrandizing website, ask their clients and especially any former clients what their experience was like.

Regarding education: don’t stop. Most likely you will be out of the game somewhere between 25 and 35. That leaves you a lot of time. What are you going to do with the rest of your 50 to 60 years? Talking about your glory days isn’t enough. You’ve been competitive your whole life so you will want to continue to do something that is just as challenging and fulfilling as basketball. Learn what that is and train to do it.

Regarding politics: do whatever you think you have to do. Being a professional athlete brings responsibility, whether or not you want it. You will be looked up to by children. One study of 10- to 17-year olds showed that professional athletes ranked second only to their parents as their most admired adults. Think about what that means to you and how you can best express it to the world. For some, it may mean supporting charities and community projects. For others, it may mean public displays of political opinions, like taking a knee during the national anthem. For some, it may mean both. Neither peer pressure nor OG pressure should influence your choice.

Remember: being a rookie isn’t just figuring out what kind of player you want to be, but it’s also about figuring out what kind of man you want to be and what kind of citizen you want to be. Like Johnny Cash sings in Reverend Mr Black: “You’ve got to walk that lonesome valley/You’ve got to walk it by yourself.”

Yours,

Kareem