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Ray Allen, The Globalization of Basketball

Published on24 JUL 2014

Professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist Ray Allen discusses discipline, leadership and the globalization of basketball.

On the importance of discipline: “When hard work and talent meet, hard work wins every time. The one thing I can control is being ready.”

On balancing leadership roles: “As a leader, I sometimes have to be the coach, sometimes the player, sometimes the General Manager. In each one of those roles, I lead in a different way, and I have to know when to sit in the back seat, when to ride shotgun and when to drive. The only way the team will win is if each team member knows his role. Sometimes for me to be good, I have to let someone else be better.”

On the value of a mentorship culture: When you come into the league, you have to learn from those who have already done it. Follow the best. When you look around the room – whoever does their job best, whoever has the greatest tenure, you need to follow them – ask questions, see how they work and learn from their mistakes. 

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