May 10, 2023   |   Tagged Leadership,

Servant Leadership Basketball

When you play basketball is your team better, is your family stronger, are you healthier? If not, what can you change?

Basketball is a tool, not a god. When it becomes a god, our lives become beholden to it. Our bad moods become excused because we lost. Our arrogance becomes an accepted attitude because we won.

We no longer serve basketball, we serve our teammates. We serve our communities and we serve the real God by being thankful for the opportunity to play this amazing sport.

Here are three qualities that will transform your basketball future:

1. Listening. The largest mistakes on and off the court come from failing to listen. We don’t listen to our bodies, therefore we get injured. We don’t listen to our teammates and therefore conflict increases. Listening ameliorates the feelings of isolation, loneliness, comparison, and dread. Did you know most people do not ask questions in conversations, but they only tell others about themselves—they declare statements? Servant leaders turning this self-focus around and instead ask questions that increase friendship, unity and overall connection. Do you listen and ask other people questions or are you only talking about your world?
2. Healing. This is a strange word to pair with basketball. Can a leader be healing in basketball? Absolutely. A basketball team can be one of the most healing places. How many people experience a team to be healing? Imagine what are ways basketball teams could actually be a place where people are healed rather than wounded? A great basketball team leader brings health to their team.
3. Transformation. In the NBC Central Office, we like to use the term, move the needle(to change a situation to a noticeable degree). Did your practice move the needle on your talent development? Does your role on the team help transform the team? Most people don’t know how to transform but really it is very simple. All you do is serve. Serve the team by helping someone work on their game, notice what brings people energy and strength, give team member a high five, increase the joy and the positive energy, spotlight, write a note of encouragement, celebrate the success of others, come each practice ready to give, serve and love and your life will move the needle for your team’s success.

About NBC Basketball Camps
NBC Camps opened in 1971 to train athletes for success on and off the court. Basketball players work to improve fundamental skills, leadership, basketball IQ and mental toughness. NBC Camps offer 200+ camps around the USA in Canada, Italy, UK, Austria, and Thailand. For more information about NBC Basketball Camps visitwww.nbccamps.com/basketball.