Basketball will always be my favorite sport. It’s mindless cardio and I happen to be somewhat decent at it. Whether I’m able to play again won’t change that. However, the more time I’ve spent away from competition, I’ve realized that my joy and obsession with it may have never been only about sharpening my physical tools.
Early in my career, my biggest goals were getting faster, stronger, and jumping higher—markers of growth for any developing athlete.
I always wanted to be taller than my 6’3” and 6’5” parents. I wanted to be able to dunk consistently. I always loved the thought of reenacting LeBron-like chasedown blocks. Guess what? I managed to go 3/3 on all of those at a high level.
Blurry proof that I grew past my parents in high school.
Fast forward to 2025. Six years after I retired from professional basketball. Ten months after sustaining a life-threatening injury that’s sidelined me for a good part of round 33 of my life. I’ve come to the conclusion that the mental part of the game was what I enjoyed most. It was the gasoline to the car; it was the spark that ignited the engine.
When you dive into the psyche of an elite athlete, you’re likely to find a few common key traits. I’d like to metaphorically paint you a picture of what that could look like.
Each of these traits is equivalent to one color on a multicolored painting. Resilience could be yellow, focus could be orange, and discipline could be red. For the sake of this exercise, let’s explore my favorite color, blue. Blue will represent adaptability. Remember, all of these colors make up the athlete painting, but we’re niching down.
Blue is a primary color. For athletes, adaptability needs to be a primary building block of a successful career. Why? Because no two days are ever the same when you’re on the hunt to become an elite athlete—regardless of sport. And if you can’t deal with that, then that path is likely not the right fit for you.
After thousands of practices over 20 years, no two days felt the same. Simply because I refused to let them. I knew if I started letting the practices feel too similar, I’d eventually go on autopilot and not give my full effort because “I had been here and done this before.” Finding a game within the game to win is essential to achieve mastery of anything.
This week, the game changed completely for me. With no NBA summer league game, the WNBA on a weird schedule with AM games during my meetings, I had to adjust to get my fix. It seems as though the blue paint was being chosen for me this time around. What was the next big event going on? Wimbledon.
Proof that I was doing my painful PT. Look at that 87 degree bend!
I’d watched tennis before, often turning to other sports as a break from my own. Athletes need that, too. With that being said, Djokovic was who I first gravitated towards because of his close relationship with Kobe. So in the typical sport lulls, I’ll tune in to support him.
As I sat on the couch to start my knee rehab Friday morning, I only expected to hear about Cooper Flagg and Bronny. I turn on ESPN and Wimbledon is on. Ironically, Jannik Sinner (ranked #1) is playing against Novak Djokovic (all-time great, ranked #6) in the semifinals of the Gentlemen’s Singles competition.
ESPN is broadcasting the tennis semifinals between two established, top 10 athletes instead of an overhyped matchup between two young stars?? Ok, interest piqued. Interestingly enough, both tennis stars had been hampered by injuries sustained earlier in the tournament. This semifinal was bound to have “GRIT” written all over it.
Sinner came in HOT. The 23-year-old took the first two sets 6-3, 6-3 with ease from the 38-year-old Djokovic. You could tell he came in with a plan to just be the better player and play his way. Strong shots down the line, great placement when Djokovic was out of position, you name it.
Between the 2nd and 3rd set, Novak took a medical timeout. Returning refreshed, he stormed to a 3-0 lead, flipping the momentum. It had appeared that the tables had turned and Sinner might be in trouble.
The crowd seemed to want the comeback story, not the logical choice of a #1 seed beating the #6. Sinner then had a choice. He could try to continue with the strategy that had gotten him a two-set lead or adapt to the circumstances and flip the script to fit what the match now called for… movement.
Sinner took out his blue paint brush and got to work. After changing his approach to force Djokovic to play longer points and making him move side-to-side, he was able to take advantage of his opponent’s limited mobility and eventually regain control. This resulted in him closing out the legend 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
You see how having that blue paint ready to deploy at any time is so important? No two days, no two matches, no two conversations should ever feel the same. If that’s the case, I’m afraid that your autopilot has turned on. And while it’s great for your car, it’s terrible for your mind.
Had Sinner not adapted his approach to the circumstances, Djokovic could have very well roared back to win. Especially with the crowd in his back pocket. But Jannik didn’t falter, he stayed cool and calm to get the job done. Adjustments will always be necessary, but if you don’t have the proper tools to solve the problem multiple ways, you’re just hoping that everything goes the way you thought it should.
Secret: that RARELY happens.
Adaptability isn’t just a nice-to-have skill. It’s the foundation for lasting success, on and off the court. Like Jannik Sinner painting with blue to rewrite the match, we all need to be ready to adjust our game plan when life throws us curveballs.
Whether you’re chasing athletic goals, navigating your career, or simply managing everyday challenges, embracing change and staying flexible will keep you sharp, resilient, and ahead of the game.
Here’s to painting your own masterpiece… one brushstroke at a time.
What’s your blue paint? How do you adapt when the unexpected shows up? Reply and let me know!
Have a great week, artists. Go paint with whatever color your week calls for 🎨
PS: I’ve made some changes to my website as we gear up for speaking engagements and workshop facilitations. Check it out here!