 As a gangly kid who had just arrived in the U.S. from Cameroon, 16-year-old Joellen Bied had a lot of the gifts that he'd eventually put to use in the NBA. The height, the athleticism, that massive 7-foot-6 wingspan. But the one thing that he couldn't do was actually shoot a basketball. And Bied didn't get into the game at all until he was about 15. Today, he has become not just the linchpin of a championship chasing team in Philadelphia, he's also arguably the best basketball player on the planet. And he was recently named the NBA's most valuable player for the current season. It's possible that this never would have happened if it weren't for YouTube. In a 2016 interview with Sports Illustrated, Bied shared the secret to his success. Learning to shoot long-distance shots by watching, in his words, videos of regular white people on the internet. You know, there's a common piece. She is going to begin the shooting mode. So basically the idea is most players when they shoot, they set the ball up here on their shoulder. Footwork is our foundation. Footwork is everything. We're stepping into our shot. Yes, Bied is a big dude, but there are a lot of those in the NBA. What sets him apart is his ability to do more than just stand under the basket and dunk. For a 7-footer, he's got an incredibly efficient jump shot. During his career, Bied has sunk more than 33% of his 3-point attempts. No one's going to confuse him with Steph Curry, but that's a better shooting percentage than Michael Jordan. And it's miles ahead of other guys and Bied's size, most of whom hardly ever score that far from the basket. And for that, he credits YouTube. You and I are unlikely to become professional basketball players by watching hours of white dudes shooting 3-pointers tonight. Sorry. But you might learn how to repair a leaky toilet or install a utility sink in your basement by watching YouTube. I did. Every day, untold numbers of people are accomplishing less audacious tasks because of the knowledge that others make freely available via all sorts of online platforms, from Wikipedia to TikTok. The incredible amount of free knowledge that's available online is staggering. And that knowledge confers agency on anyone who's willing to use it. Are there cranks on YouTube spreading silly conspiracies and crazy uncles on Facebook sharing QAnon memes? Of course. When politicians call for regulating social media and other online platforms, they risk throwing out a lot of the good with the bad. Often in the name of protecting children, they ought to consider the other side of that equation too. Being exposed to unfamiliar ideas can sometimes be scary, but like it was for 16-year-old Joel and Bied trying to refine his untapped athletic potential, it can also be game-changing. Thanks for watching.