The Journey from NBA to MBA

My NBA career was infused with countless interactions that led to my pursuit of an MBA, after I had earned an undergraduate degree in sociology at Cal-Berkeley in 2012, post-NBA. For instance, my MBA pursuit was sparked by the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement between its players and owners, which was an introduction to negotiations, strategy and finance; partnerships with major brands such as Nike, demonstrating how marketing and branding establishes customer loyalty; and the conversations with NBA owners, who control some of the biggest companies in the world, sharing their stories and offering valuable advice. Even if I was not aware at the time, these experiences led to me applying and being accepted to the University of Southern California (USC), Marshall School of Business.

As I reflect on the last two years, it was the search for a unique experience, the challenge of building new relationships and the opportunity to be a resource to a completely new network that led me to USC’s Marshall School of Business. The easier, more comfortable path would have been to consider attending my alma mater, but I wanted to challenge myself, at this stage in my life, to embrace a different experience. I am thankful for all the experiences USC’s Marshall School of Business afforded me from the anxiety of a different environment, the challenge of mastering new information and the expanded capacity to manage multiple projects, but most importantly I am thankful for the people. The amazing faculty, other students with diverse backgrounds and the network of alumni known as the “Trojan Network” made for an incomparable two years.

I graduated business school on May 13, 2016 with so many great memories of learning new information, working on group presentations and our export trip to Shanghai, but my must memorable moment came in the first week of class. My anxiety was really high. As I looked around the lecture halls, they were filled with extremely smart and accomplished individuals that led me to question if I belonged. Adding to the anxiety, my strategy professor had a policy of cold calling students. She assigned cases to read and expected us to analyze the cases and lead the class discussions, based on the analytical tools we were learning. Although, I prepared for class by reading over cases multiple times, the thought of leading the class analysis was dreadful. I remembering thinking how I had performed in sold out arenas, on national television. Still, this was nerve wrecking to me. Appropriately, I was called to lead the analysis. Without pause, my instincts took over—similar to forgetting the butterflies in your stomach once the ball was in play. I led the case analysis, outlining the case based on the industry characteristics, the focus of activities and what challenges must be overcome. At the end of the class discussion, the professor nodded in approval. I remember feeling that I belonged; I also recalled a moment during my rookie season just like this.

For me the principles that led to me having success in continuing my education mirrored many of the principles that allowed me to have success as an athlete. For example, the routine of studying late nights is similar to the daily training regimen of my playing days; the dynamics of group projects remind me of working with teammates on the court, both require that you sacrifice for the group; and differed gratification, years of sacrifice and work in the dark culminated by graduating to new heights. For athletes thinking about completing their undergraduate education or pursuing a post-graduate degree, remember you are conditioned for high performance. Don’t abandon the principles that allowed you to be successful as an athlete; the competitiveness, work ethic and teamwork will aid you in your studies. However, you may have to alter your celebration from a chest bump to a simple high five.

Developing the technical skills in areas such as marketing, finance and strategy I believe will pay tremendous dividends going forward.  As a professional athlete, often I would incorporate elementary drills into my training, or visit with mentors and coaches from my formative years. The fundamentals and teachings from my early years established the habits that allowed me to reach the highest level as a professional athlete. We hear stories of great authors or artists that even after achieving acclaim continued the mundane routines of their beginnings. The USC Marshall School of Business has given me the perspective to continue to improve and develop into the leader and businessman I aspire to be.  I will continuously revisit and build upon these lessons and the network I developed during my time at Marshall.

Completing my MBA is an achievement I am extremely proud of.  However, I acknowledge that the true estimation of what the experience of business school has truly meant will be measured by production moving forward. In the USC Marshall Commencement address Pete Carroll, former USC head football coach and current Seattle Seahawks head football coach, encouraged our graduating class to “Always Compete.” He emphatically coached us to take the skills we have gained in business school to compete to be the best at whatever we do. He said, “Make yourself so valuable that the places you are working with can’t afford to lose you, they’ll have to do whatever they can to keep you.” Coach Carroll’s speech inspires me - it was like a coach’s rally before entering the playing court. As I head to my new playing court, I plan to compete with the knowledge and skills I have acquired to take on new challenges and reach new heights, but more importantly - to be a resource to others.  The experience of business school has been such a wonderful experience that I will keep with me forever as I look forward to what comes next.

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