Your Brand of Basketball
Imagine your game as a business…
I’ve been really fortunate to receive an incalculable amount of basketball advice from some really good coaches, players, trainers, and my dad. One of the more recent pieces of knowledge I received was during the summer before my first season as a pro. I was temporarily relocating from one gym to another and while saying my thank-yous and farewells, one of the trainers dropped some knowledge on me that really resonated. It wasn’t only something that I felt really applied to someone who was entering the business of basketball, but for players of all levels and even outside of the sport as well…
“Your game, your name, is a brand. Every day is an audition, every day is a first impression, and first impressions go a long way.”
Everyone has heard the expression, “make a good first impression” but hearing it put this way is what really hit home with me, when he explained it more in depth. Everyone who matters that watches you; coaches, scouts, other players, fans, trainers, they’re going to talk about how you play, how you carry yourself, your work ethic, what kind of person you are. And you want them to. Basketball makes the world smaller. How do you want people to talk about you? And your reputation?
Everyone wants to make a good first impression. To build on that reputation, and have people talk about you the right way after the first time they see you. Think about it this way…
Put yourself in that locker room before the 1st game of the season. No. The whole day. Waking up excited, getting to the gym early, putting on your fresh uniform, warming up. I’ve always enjoyed that first game more than anything. Getting off to a good start, a good first impression, it just sets the tone for the whole season. Can you imagine, what if you had this energy and enthusiasm for every game? Every practice? Every conditioning? Every day of school/work?
Your reputation is built over time, over a long series of first impressions from many different people and many different conversations. Compare your reputation to your favorite brand. My case? NIKE. Hands down. IS it my favorite because of one shoe (=one game)? One commercial (=good week of practice)? One athlete endorsement (=one MVP Trophy of a tournament)? It’s built on a lifetime, and every day (practice), every product (game), every move they (you) make is tailored towards improvement and success. Brands never take a day off to let a competitor pass them by or create a product to disappoint the consumer, or satisfied with last year’s model, the same way you should never be satisfied with one good first impression but always striving to make a better one everywhere you go.
It’s amazing how things start to stick with you, good or bad. That guy always plays hard, that guy never misses layups, that guy plays no defense. Is it always really one or the other or probably somewhere in the middle? But the more often you make these things habits and the more people see them to testify, the more they stick with you, and your brand.
The guys who are to me their own brand: LeBron and Kobe. Okay, it’s pretty easy to be a brand when you’re one of the best players of all time, but I’m referring to their reputation and everyday habits.
LeBron: Leader, unselfish, accepts the level of expectations placed on his shoulders. He owns it. Without a doubt, his teammates follow his lead by his actions and vocal example. He looks to get his teammates involved to start games, and is even criticized tremendously for his habits to do so down the stretch of games. In every interview, he takes blame; he knows how good he needs to be, not just occasionally or even consistently, but unequivocally.
Kobe: Scorer, unapologetic, one of the fiercest competitors and workers in any sport in history. Kobe is going to shoot the basketball and that is a fact. You won’t stumble across a game where he took 5 or 6 shots. He won’t apologize for it either, or for any of his other actions for that matter. He’s going to tell you when you stink, and not feel bad about it. He’s not scared of competition or putting in the most work. It’s been reported every time the Lakers sign a new player, at any position, Kobe plays them 1 on 1 until he beats them 11–0. Not just beats them, but beats them 11–0. There are stories of trainers finding him in the gym at 5am getting shots up, AFTER having run a few miles. Was this occasionally or even consistently? Nope, it was every single day, in front of everyone who crossed his path, all the time.
Why are these guys brands? Perhaps the best brands? Because they stick to their success not occasionally, or consistently, but unequivocally.
Do you have to be Kobe or LeBron? No (won’t hurt to go for it though). But make YOUR brand the best and most consistent you can. Think back to that locker room for the first game, the energy you had to get started, and imagine if you attacked every day with that mindset, the amount of good first impressions you could make. So be your best brand, and be it every day, you never know who you’re making a first and lasting impression for.
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