What Motivated Davante Adams in His Journey to Become a Professional Athlete

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams wanted to succeed for his family.

Dec 10, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) is greeted by fans during teh game against the Minnesota Vikings at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams has had a long NFL career, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.

For Adams, he's living his dream, and not just for his sake, but for his family's as well.

Growing up, Adams, who lived in a three-bedroom house that was occupied by nearly 10 people, was determined to give his family a better life.

"I mean, it was my driving force, man," Adams told NFL legend Shannon Sharpe on his podcast, "Club Shay Shay," this past week. "And honestly, I'm glad that I had a wake-up call in high school that kind of got me on the right track as far as academics because I wasn't really focused the way that I was supposed to early in high school. And that was going to lead to me having to take a whole alternate route to get where I need. Which, [there is] nothing wrong with the JUCO route, but you can get lost in the sauce, especially coming from where I come from. A lot of people end up in that and get lost in it.

"You ain't guaranteed nothing. You might have a quarterback that's OK, but, you know, we need somebody that can sling it. ... If I'm playing running back, that's on me, the O-line got to block, and it got to be a good scheme and all that, but you get that pill in your hand, you got more to say about what you do than on the outside. So, for me, I just had to get a little bit more mature as it pertained to understanding the big picture in high school and locked in. And once I got there and understood and conquered that academic aspect and got to a point where I realized that I was on my way, I couldn't let nothing get in my way.

"I knew my whole life growing up, every time I played at any level -- basketball, whatever -- I was always one of the best ones, if not the best one. So, it wasn't the talent, for me, it was just about the right opportunity and making sure I checked the boxes of what I had to do academically -- I don't want to say 'check the boxes' because that makes it seem like I was trying to get by, which was some of it, maybe that was -- but to a certain extent, I wanted to make sure I did what I had to do so that I could get there."

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