Learning from a basketball genius

“Ian wake up! This is crazy”

It was July 2019. I was on a short European vacation getting shaken awake by a friend sharing breaking news about the NBA.

The Oklahoma City Thunder just traded their two best players — Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

Still half asleep, I wondered to myself, “Why on earth trade your two best players in the prime of their careers? Is the Thunder leadership compromised? Or just incompetent?” before I rolled over and went back to sleep.

A few weeks later, OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti penned an Op-Ed in the local newspaper titled Looking Back, Thinking Forward (read the full version here). In his short article, Sam explained his logic behind the unpopular decisions he recently made.

In summary, he acknowledged that the team had reached a "natural conclusion" with its previous roster. In order to reach the ultimate goal of sustainable, long-term, collective excellence, the Thunder would need to get worse before getting better. It would require strategic discipline and thoughtful patience.

Fast forward 7 years — things are better. A lot better.

The OKC Thunder just swept Lebron James and the Lakers 4-0 in the playoffs and are clear favorites to win this year’s NBA championship — which would be their second title in a row.

Whether or not the Thunder repeat as NBA champions, the method that Sam instilled to build and sustain a truly great basketball team seems to be working quite well. And methods that build sustainable excellence are good to know, whether we are running an NBA team, building a 5k race or coaching our daughter’s softball team. They can help us with many things — but most importantly — help to bring us together.

As Sam wrote in 2019, “Sports [including running] do one thing above all else: they create a set of intense memories through which individuals come together to form a larger community.”

Unlike I thought in July 2019, the OKC Thunder leadership wasn’t compromised or incompetent. They were simply working towards an exceptional outcome — and to get there, they were willing to resist shortcuts, accept criticism and be the exception.

— Ian

Free Race Websites for 5K Races