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In 1980, little known guard, Terry Duerod was making his debut for the Boston Celtics late in a game against the New York Knicks.
He took one shot, a jump shot from the top of the key, which rattled against the rim and then fell out.
Feeling slightly dejected in the locker room after the game, the team’s star, Larry Bird, came up to him and encouraged him to take that shot every time.
Duerod was a shooter and it would have been easy to go into his shell after that miss, but in doing so, he wouldn’t have been able to make the most of his strengths.
As a sports fan, today marks the end of an era. For the first time in 22 years, the San Antonio Spurs have missed out on a spot in the NBA playoffs. It’s an extraordinary run that won’t be repeated any time soon and it’s a record that’s made all the more amazing by the fact that coach Gregg Popovich has been at the helm for each of those 22 years.
I’m an unabashed fan of Coach Pop and have admired his leadership and coaching methods for long time, so how did such a great winner respond to his run being broken?
This is what he said:
“I don’t dwell on the past. I don’t know who won the baseball championship from year to year. Four years ago, I don’t know who won the NBA championship. That stuff is totally unimportant. What’s important is the moment. You do what you gotta do and you move on.”
Yes, it was a great run, but he’s not lingering there.
Football coach Pete Carroll was once asked, “Pete, which is better: winning or competing?”
He simply replied, “Competing… because it lasts longer.”
You may not feel as though you’re winning at the moment, but you can still compete.
You can still battle.
You can still persevere.
You can still do your best.
In his wonderful book, The Captain Class, Sam Walker writes:
One of the highest compliments coaches can pay athletes is to describe them as relentless, to say that they just keep coming. Not every star has this quality. Some have a tendency to take games off; others shrink in critical situations.
How would your coach or the people around you describe your attitude to life?
Would they say that you are relentless?
That you just keep coming?
In baseball, when a batter swings and misses, does he give up?
What about if he misses on the second pitch?
Does he walk back to the dug-out, or does he risk three strikes?
What if he does strike out?
When his turn comes around again, does he pick up his bat and go back in?
My beloved Boston Celtics are on a bit of a roll at the moment in the NBA and I noticed an interesting statistic that mentioned when Jaylen Brown has scored 20 or more points this season, the Celtics are 23-5.
Imagine that.
A player does well and the team benefits.
It seems obvious, but sometimes we forget this important principle and also neglect to apply it in our lives.
I need you to hear this today.
In a recent interview, long-time Miami Heat forward, Udonis Haslem was asked about the culture of the organisation and he responded,
It’s one thing to have a coach give the message and do the things that coaches do. But it’s different to have someone in the locker room that’s a living, breathing example of the culture that you want to transfer to those guys, that you want to impart upon them.
There’s no doubt that Udonis is a great leader.
He has contributed to 3 NBA titles during his tenure with the Heat and his pre-game speeches are iconic and inspiring.
And the above quote explains why he is so influential within that franchise.
In the week leading up to the 2019 AFL Grand Final, Richmond captain Trent Cotchin said,
“For me, it’s not about holding the cup up for a second time and so forth, it’s about creating a culture that will live beyond my time at the footy club and the other players who have been such a big part of that.”
He gets it.
He understands leadership.
It’s about creating a legacy.
Clemson University Football Strength and Conditioning Coach Joey Batson is quoted as saying:
“They don’t put championship rings on smooth hands… You win championships when the stadium is empty, when the band ain’t playing, when the cheerleaders ain’t cheering, when it’s just you and your brother, right beside you.”
I love these types of quotes as they are a reminder that we can’t just expect to turn up and expect everything to automatically work out.
Wayne Rooney did it again.
For the third time in his professional career, Rooney managed to kick a goal from beyond the half-way line, with an audacious strike.
How does he do it?
Firstly, he needs to see the opportunity.
