National Basketball Association — Podcast

The Leadership Lessons of Coach John Wooden with Swen Nater

Swen Nater has one of the most unlikely paths to success. He was born in the Netherlands where he spent several years in orphanages. When he came to America as a boy, Swen fell in love with the game of basketball. Despite never playing in high school, he became an All-American at Cypress College, a two-time national champion at UCLA, and he played 12 years professionally. He is the only player in history to lead the ABA and NBA in rebounding. When Swen’s playing days were over, he went on to coach Christian Heritage College to a national championship.

In this interview, Swen talks about his difficult childhood and the journey that led him to play professional basketball. He shares the leadership lessons he learned from his legendary leader at UCLA – Coach John Wooden. Swen talks about Coach Wooden’s approach to time management, giving feedback, discipline, conditioning, and the tremendous care he showed for his players. Swen finishes the interview by talking about the mentorship he received from Coach Wooden in the decades after playing at UCLA.

Swen Nater still holds the California Community College single game rebound record at 39. After becoming a community college All-American, Swen played for two undefeated, national championship teams at UCLA. He went on to become the ABA Rookie of the Year, a two-time All Star, and led the league in rebounds and field goal percentage. When he jumped to the NBA, Swen led the league in rebounds, becoming the only player in history win both the ABA and NBA rebounding titles. After playing basketball, Swen Nater became athletic director and head coach at Christian Heritage College where he led the Hawks to a national small college championship. Swen is author of five books including "You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned.” Swen has been inducted into the Orange County Hall of Fame and The San Diego Hall of Champions Hall of Fame. Swen is currently a buyer for Costco Wholesale.

A Family Legacy of Resilience with Dan Grunfeld

In this interview about grit and determination, author and former professional basketball player Dan Grunfeld tells the harrowing story of how his grandmother escaped the Holocaust during World War II. Dan goes on to describe the challenges his grandmother, grandfather, uncle, and father faced as they moved to the United States to begin a new life for themselves after the war. Unable to speak English, Dan’s father, Ernie Grunfeld, used the resilience he inherited from his parents to turn himself into a high school basketball phenom who went on to become a collegiate All-American, Olympic Gold Medal winner for Team USA in 1976, and an NBA player and executive.

Dan describes his personal duty to honor his grandmother, father, and their family legacy by honing his skills, body, and mind so he could be the best athlete and person he can be. He wraps up the conversation by describing his own path to becoming a standout college basketball player and his unrelenting willingness to overcome a brutal knee injury that nearly ended his chances at a professional basketball career.

Dan Grunfeld is a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan is the author of the critically acclaimed book, By the Grace of the Game, and his writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News. Dan earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2017 and lives with his wife and sons in Northern Virginia, where he works in venture capital.

Progress, Not Perfection with Basketball Legend Coach Ray Scott

This interview is so much more than a discussion about leadership. It’s a reflection on the incredible progress that has been made in the United States and the work that still needs to be done. Born in South Philadelphia, former professional basketball player and coach Ray Scott discusses a formative trip he took as a 12-year-old boy to the segregated South in 1950. He talks about the bravery amid intimidation and death threats of the first African American players in the National Basketball Association. He shares what he learned from pioneering leaders he was fortunate to meet and get to know like Muhammad Ali, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Aretha Franklin, and his mentor and coach Earl Lloyd.

Additionally, Coach Scott talks about his role as a leader during his playing and coaching career in professional basketball. Ray discusses the importance of forming habits, being a pioneer, establishing the right mindset in very difficult circumstances. mentorship, determining individual readiness to lead other people, building a self-reliant team, and coaching former players.

In 1961, Ray Scott was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the #4 overall pick in the National Basketball Association Draft. His professional playing career spanned 11 years with the Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, and Virginia Squires. He became an assistant coach and eventually the head coach of the Detroit Pistons during the early 1970s. In 1974, Ray became the first African American Coach of the Year. He went on to become the head men’s basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University and then had a long, successful career in business. Ray is the author of The NBA in Black and White: The Memoir of a Trailblazing NBA Player and Coach.

12 Geniuses Podcast

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