LeBron James’ winning mentality needs no introduction. As someone who has made ten finals and won four championships, he is no stranger to winning. But even taking into account last season, he still remains hungry for more. The NBA’s All-Time leading scorer has set benchmarks that have no precedents. To do that, he has had to fight hard and counter many inner battles. The journey for the kid from Ohio has been mired with challenges. However, the never-ending winning spirit inside this incredible Akron athlete keeps on growing. 

Although he has not been as decorated as LBJ, the 25-year-old Jalen Hurts is always hunting for a Super Bowl but is yet to realize the dream. The NFL quarterback is hungry for victory and in this regard, he shares something with the basketball star. However, in their similar striving for greatness, they share one other crucial factor too – their philosophy, or a winning mojo.

Jalen Hurts and LeBron James are always in the limelight

After more than five years of wildcard losses and playoffs dearth, the Philadelphia Eagles finally turned it around last season. Thanks to their throw-to-score and run-to-win philosophy, the team made it to the last Super Bowl, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. Their style of play is incomplete without their superstar Jalen Hurts. There is a reason why he has one of the highest salaries at $51 million annually, thanks to his five-year $255,000,000 contract extension.

He has commanded such money because he is integral to the Eagles and they feed off his incredible passing and continuously improving gameplay. Therefore, he has set high standards for the team, with the limelight being trained on him all the time. Therefore, when Hurts talked about internal strife and the need for media to be more team-oriented, James picked up on his words right away. He posted a story where Jalen Hurts was speaking and wrote, “Only a few truly understands exactly what he’s saying! And that’s a shame.”

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The instance in question arose from an interviewer asking during a presser, “How do you define the standards?” Jalen had an impressive reply right off the bat. So, what is that Hurts said, that captivated the NBA star’s thoughts too?

Jalen Hurts poignantly explains his position

To the question, the Eagles QB replied, “The standard is something that is internal. It’s something that’s gonna be defined by no one but myself. And you know, it rises every day, so that’s the challenge.” These questions have emerged because his team’s passing game hasn’t been as crisp as last season. Apart from that, though QB is playing in great form, his team hasn’t been able to find their footing. On a personal level too, his play has been questioned.

But these questions are also coming out because of the high standards they have set. The Eagles have won their first two games against the Patriots and Vikings and will next run into the Buccaneers. Despite solid performances, there are voices questioning Hurts’ capabilities on the field. Similarly, on the court too, LBJ has been receiving flak for quite some time now. Despite his winning track record in the past, people may just be beginning to turn skeptical about his performance.

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But these two prime athletes don’t let people define them. They define their own parameters. Perhaps, that is exactly what sets them a class apart from the rest.