Beal's famous work ethic goes back to his days on Team USA originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Bradley Beal is widely considered one of the hardest-working stars in the NBA today and it's a trait that's helped go from high school star in St. Louis to one of the very best scorers in the game.
An elite work ethic isn't developed overnight either. Beal has been impressing his peers with his workout regiment since his days on Team USA's under 16 team with DeMatha alum and two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook. Cook, the top high school player in Maryland, was Beal's roommate in 2009 when they played for Team USA and got a front-row seat to how hard Beal worked on his game.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
"I always took pride in being the hardest worker," Cook said on Wizards Pregame Live. "I'll never forget, we had a 10 a.m. practice and I wanted to get on the court around 8:30-8:45. When I woke up, Brad was already gone and I was like, 'Where he at?' I get to the gym and Brad's in a full sweat already at 16 years old."
Over time, Cook and Beal started competing with each other on who could be the harder worker. That's not exactly the worst thing a coach could ask for on his team.
"We would literally try to race each other to the gym every single day and we just told each other we would work out together," Cook said. "Every single day he kind of opened my eyes like, 'Wow, I'm not the only 16-year-old out here working hard.' He was the hardest worker on that team and every game he got better, every year he got better. The next year he won MVP of the entire tournament."
Now, Beal is the NBA's leading scorer, dropping just under 33 points per game for a Wizards team still trying to dig itself out of an early-season slump and get back in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Everything Washington does begins and ends with Beal, which doesn't surprise his former Team USA roommate.
"What he's doing right now, I'm not surprised," Cook said. "He's been ready for this his whole life."
