"Trust the Process" A saying that is known in the pro sports industry is also very relevant in our normal everyday lives.

I want to share some friendly advice to all those ballers out there trying to strive to play in the NBA. A large group of pro ballers each year around this time are sitting at home frustrated watching summer league games saying how did this player make it when I’ve played him before and I know I’m better than him. Or why do I train so hard to be overlooked? A question that has only one answer that stands above them all! Each individual no matter what their walk of life is, where they came from, or who they know, your life is written by God and if it's a part of his plan for you to play in the NBA and or get a shot at NBA Summer League, you will! We as individuals can only follow his timing, as we are not in control of what happened yesterday, now or tomorrow.

Every summer there will be a list of players that are wondering why not me? Simple fact is that it will be that way for many years to come. Each summer players will find themselves sitting there scratching their heads, placing blame on others for them not being there, upset with their situations either it be good or bad, wanting to fire their agents, their family gets involved and wonders why their son who they thought is the next Lebron isn't get a chance to show what they can do, and the list goes on and on. The problem with all of this is when a person doesn't get his or her way in life it's very easy to place the blame elsewhere when most of the time we weren't ready for the situation, or even better it isn't a part of Gods plan and or the timing isn't right yet.

My word of advice to any player who's in college or already playing pro basketball, this is a "business" and the only thing you have control over is your skill and what you can do to become better than the next guy. What a lot of players don't realize is what you post on social media is being seen by decision makers in the league, coaches, and management either it be in the NBA or overseas. Do yourself a favor and watch what you post, watch what you do and what you say in public, be careful in who you choose to surround yourself with, be strong in how you handle defeat as it all goes hand in hand with opportunity. Nobody in life wants to be around someone who is negative, as negative doesn't accomplish positive outcomes, be positive all the time! Being a pro basketball player isn't an easy career path to take but if you want to separate yourself from other players you have to bring something to the table that a team is in need of. One of the most important factors being a pro athlete is to remember, if your mind isn't right then your game isn't right!

As a players agent, I could sit around all day and wonder why am I not at the top of the agency business seeing my life/business resume would easily go up against many of the top agents in this industry today, but..... these big time agents and agencies have carved their paths in this industry either it be who they know, they were former players, they signed one big star that makes it easier for them to sign more future stars, they might of been best friends or a close friend of the clients family for years, and the list goes on and on. It's very easy for all of us in any profession to make up excuses or even worse choose to be lazy instead of being productive and realizing we are not to blame those who are ahead of us but figure out how we can reach the top ourselves. The only thing that matters when trying to reach the top in our professions is to keep networking, keep training, always stay educated in the field you are in, show respect to others, and respect the process as your job is to play ball and it's the agents job to get you opportunity. In business it's key to learn the value of trusting in someone besides yourself! As a professional athlete you have one thing you should be focusing on and that's staying in game shape and getting better each and every day. It's the agents job to keep putting in the calls for you while you are to focus on working very hard on your craft because more times than none while you're sleeping others were working non stop to get ahead of you.

I choose to show a level of respect to my clients, their families, and the decision makers who hand out the opportunities to me so I can pass them on to my clients. I hold myself accountable for the success and the failures that come my way as well my clients future success. An athlete should hold that same amount of respect towards the game and the people helping him or her along with their career. 

"HOLDING YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE AS PRO"

Yes there’s politics involved, unfortunately it’s a part of this business as it is in many businesses. You have two options, you can either sit around and complain about it or find a way to play a part in it. The role of "playing politics" falls on your agent and YOUR role on the political side of things as an athlete or an employee is to watch what you post on your social media, watch who you are in the streets, are you serious or do you like to party, are you lazy or do you live in the gym and or your office? To all the ballers out there if you are talented and have had interests from league teams before then you are already in the mix. (BE HAPPY ABOUT THIS!!) When you get an opportunity or multiple opportunities your agent has done his or her job, it's your job to show you have something that the team needs.

If things don't go your way at first, you don't quit, you get back in the gym and keep getting better. Never place any blame of you not making a team on those who got the opportunity for you, or let alone anyone else. Always remember your agent did their job in providing you with the opportunity, and those who support you are their for encouragement no matter the success or the failures that may come your way, everyone plays a role in this thing we call life. Each opportunity positive or negative is a learning experience to grow from. Neither the agent or the circle of people that you surround yourself with play a part in NBA management. That same circle, your agent, your boss, or your family don't have a right in saying you are on the team or not, so none of them are to be held accountable for the outcome of your performance when given an opportunity. Throughout my years of being a players agent I have come to realize they tend to make this about themselves when there's more than just the player who is involved, their are decision makers who look at you as a whole and they're are agents who stay up countless hours working for you that aren't being paid a penny until you land a contract. This isn't a one man show, it takes an orchestra of people to make the show happen. Be sure you just don't have your game right and your mind right, but also be sure your life is right.

"DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL"

There's numerous guys each and every year that are in the league that as a fan or as a player we find ourselves questioning why are they getting this opportunity when the player or fan may believe or know they are much better than them. If you're not a pro athlete you find yourself wondering how did they get that promotion when I put in a lot more work and my numbers are better. In the arena of pro basketball, the NBA is King and it has been around for a very long time, resulting in a very successful business. The league is not out here trying to cater to everyone's needs as they are catering to what is best for their team and the future of their team right now. A player can be a superstar in college and not even get a shot at the NBA, it happens all the time. Just like life though there's a lot of people in higher positions that we may feel don't deserve the success they get but you can either waste your time complaining while that individual is getting ahead and living their life or you can find a way to be better than them and be the very best at what you do. Life isn't rocket science, but it does come with a lot of struggles and if you can't make it through the struggles then don't think for one minute you are ready to handle success. Failure sets you up for success!

"BEING WELL ROUNDED"

In any profession or being a pro athlete, you always need to strive to be the very best you can be. Being a well rounded individual and focusing on what you are great at is key! Becoming even better at that one thing or many things is the first step in becoming great in all that you do. There's not a road map to you reaching success, but it can be accomplished in you focusing your time and energy in being the very best version of yourself. In the agent industry just like many other industries throughout the world each person has a role. It is key that each of us focus on our roles to make sure we do our very best for each one of our clients no matter the level of talent they possess.

Players of today are not the same as they were ten and twenty years ago. Today unfortunately for many is about glitz, glamour, large pay days, the list goes on and the love of the game has faded away for many. Due to our ever so changing culture, social media, and what the media wants to show you is how a lot of young athletes and people in our society today determine the way they feel and if they're successful or not. We all need to realize and know that the media has nothing to do with our talents and the level that we each reach. If you are great then you will be talked about of course, but if that's your driving factor in this game of life then your living for all the wrong reasons. Play this game because you love it, work your job because you went to school for it, you studied for it, you like doing it, most importantly be yourself and NOT anyone else.

Players and every day people find themselves thinking they're not successful unless they're the next Lebron James or Steve Jobs. This is not true at all! Lebron James was given a GOD given talent that he's spent his whole life working on to perfect. He spends seven figures a year to stay in game shape as he ages. Lebron didn't adapt his game or who he is to what the media is marketing him as, he perfected his craft and continues to do whatever it takes to get better each and everyday. Steve Jobs focused his time to always learn something new, spent hours of countless research on his industry, he placed his energy into creating a company and products that no one had ever seen before. The younger generation has no idea how far the computer industry has came from the days of Oregon Trail to what they are today. If Steve Jobs would've stopped learning, or gave up when his company Apple was almost forced to file bankruptcy, he wouldn't have been able to leave behind the giant Apple is today.

"A MAGIC PATH TO SUCCESS"

If you are a pro basketball player and you don't get drafted, you don't get signed after the draft, you don't get invited to a team camp, and you don't make NBA Summer League, you don't make a G League roster, then life is not over and neither is your pro basketball career! Just like many situations in life you don't always succeed at first but you try, try, again! If your career takes you across the pond to play pro basketball it isn't the end of the road, it's the beginning of your path to the NBA. If you are a player that has to begin your pro career overseas then you are just like any other living person building his or her own resume. When building this resume of playing basketball overseas let it be known you are a pro, and you can make yourself a lot of money. Overseas talents find their way into the NBA Draft every year just like players from America who go overseas that ball out get invites to NBA Summer League after their season. Just like the common saying, "there's more than one way to skin a cat" well there's more than one way to get your shot at playing in the NBA! Trust the process.

"IS IT ALL ABOUT THE MONEY"

I like to ask potential clients if they are playing the game for the money or do they love to play the game? If they are playing for the money then they are already starting off on the wrong foot if there goals are to one day play in the NBA.

EVERY player is going to have a bad game and the love for the game is what will separate you from those who are just focused on the money, and in having the right mindset opportunities will come. If you're having an off game, you can find other ways to help your team out and in doing so that will make you a "well rounded" basketball player and individual when it comes time to discuss your next contract. A coach is hired to help his team win, teach each player what it takes to win, how to handle defeat with class, he or she shares with them tools they need to better their craft, and at the same time this helps each player become better men or women on and off the court.

"DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU"

An old saying, "don't bite the hand that feeds you" this still remains very true in todays society when it comes to landing jobs and maintaining a successful career! Depending on who's hand you bite, they will either bite back or the decision you made to bite the hand that fed you won't turn out the way that you thought it would. I see this happen all the time in the pro sports industry. Players will jump from agent to agent because they think the agent is the issue but just like when a company you are set to have interview with or the next team you are trying to play for interviews you, they are going to assume why did you have four jobs in a year or why are you on your fourth agent? Common sense is going to tell them that the agent or all the jobs you had wasn't because of the agent or the places you worked, it's because you don't have patience in the process or respect for the opportunities that have been given to you.

Is that always the case, no not all the time but for most of the time it is. Steve Jobs didn't snap his finger and an iphone popped out because if that worked his company would've never had to come back from the dead to be a giant in todays tech industry. Being a professional on any level also comes with being patient and trusting the people around you to have the best interest in your career and family. If you don't get that vibe then get rid of the negatives in your life. Also know that what you don't have today doesn't mean you won't have it tomorrow. You can't be hired at Apple if your only job is McDonalds and you have a high school diploma with no college degree. Just as you can't make it to the NBA if you are just another player who doesn't put in the work and respect the process because you believe you deserve something that you have not yet earned.

In closing I want all athletes and everyday workers to learn and live your best life! Be different, be the best you, perfect what you're good at, live for the moment and not for what can be but what will be if you put your heart and soul into it. We all make life more difficult than it really is by judging our current situation against those who are where we want to be. Stop living your life to be someone else and be who you are as who you are is great and what makes us all different from one another. The business of pro sports isn't made for everyone just like being a CEO of a Fortune 100 company doesn't happen over night or maybe ever. We all have a path, we all have dreams, some of us give up on our dreams and settle into what feels comfortable and then some of us strive to reach our goals no matter what it takes. No one is better than the other, but at the end of the day when you want something in life you have to work for it and you have to respect what is earned.

Be a Priority, NOT an option!

Dewey E Hawkins III

Players Agent & Business Owner