The Milwaukee Bucks won their first NBA championship in 50 years. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and blocked five shots, which no one had ever done in a Finals before. This performance built on Giannis’s historically great playoff numbers while delivering historically great work life advice in the subsequent press conferences. This incredible NBA Twitter thread highlights some of his thoughtful and inspiring takes. Fellow career strategist, developer, and connector of talent, Rob Kim, recently posted some insightful commentary about Giannis’s powerful words and what lessons in confidence and potential they might uncover in our work life. Here are five lessons in confidence from Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Having perspective
“We’ve all worked extremely hard to be in this moment. And I’m not talking about basketball. I’m talking about life.”
To say the least, Giannis walked a unique path to become a basketball super-duper-star. He started playing the game late in life. He is an immigrant with diverse ethnic and cultural heritage. He loyally plays for a small market team. The Ringer’s Mirin Fader wrote a book about his improbably career ascension. From having teammates’ backs when the Bucks boycotted a game in protest of police shootings to sharing his successes with family and teammates, Giannis lives life as more than a basketball legend.
Leading with humility
“I try to focus in the moment, in the present. That’s humility. That’s being humble. That’s setting no expectation. That’s going out there and enjoying the game. Competing at a high level…that’s a skill that I’ve tried to, like, perfect – master – and it’s been working so far.”
Incredible.
Giannis suggests that “the past is ego” because it’s where we point to our achievements and that “the future, that’s pride” because we point to what we will do (since we’re so awesome or vengeful). Probably my favourite thing about Giannis is how willingly he throws himself into situations that have a high probability of humbling him. For example, he sucks at shooting free throws (even though he went 17/19 last night!), but he consistently demands the ball and aggressively seeks out contact. He steps to the stripe like a kindergarten student trying to spell a word in front of the class correctly for the first time – nothing but curiosity, willpower, and confidence vibe from his body, regardless of whether he just bricked the last seven shots.
Leading with humility represents powerful lessons in confidence because it enables us to live in the flow of experiences and adapt without resistance or fear.
Knowing failing is learning
“I thought I was going to get dunked on, to be honest with you.”
Giannis is not afraid of getting dunked on because, as noted above, he practices humility in the moment. He constantly strives to make the best basketball play, as opposed to listening to the voice in the back of his head (it’s an agent or publicist, probably) telling him to duck out of the play so that he doesn’t get lit up on the Internet because it’s bad for the ego (or maybe his klout score).
Learning from all the times he got dunked on prepared him to do this.
Relentless optimism
“Exactly. I don’t know. I was so in the moment.”
As a man with profound optimism bias, I love this aspect of Giannis’s character. At times during these playoffs the Bucks looked downright deplorable – unfit to win a Courtenay men’s league three-on-three tournament – and Giannis’s confidence in himself and his teammates never diminished.
Perpetually in his flow, he wanted it more than everyone else.
Even when the outcomes were uncertain and the choices he made yielded significant risk, Giannis pursued every next step with optimism.
Showing how it’s done
Confident leaders connect with their people by doing the work, which builds trust, improves well-being, as well as uncovers novel ways to make tasks more efficient and generate novel ideas.