Tag Archives: basketball

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Air: The Air Jordan Shoe Story

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

Have you ever wondered about the story behind the iconic Air Jordan shoes produced by Nike? Air tells this story and how Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) courted Michael Jordan (Damian Delano Young) and his family to become the shoe sensation everyone talks about.

Nike wasn’t always the shoe powerhouse you think of today. No, years ago, Nike was more known for their running shoes than basketball shoes. 

That all changed when Sonny saw an opportunity to court a young man that would become synonymous with Nike and basketball. The sales path wasn’t easy, but it was fruitful.

That’s the story of Air.

Air is more than a shoe story. Or a Michael Jordan story. Air is a story of persistence, resilience, and tenacity that can impact your leadership today. Join us for a Reel Leadership journey into Air.  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Chang Can Dunk

A Reel Leadership Article

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

Chang Can Dunk is a Disney+ exclusive movie about a young Asian-American teen who longs to get the girl, defeat the school bully, and maybe play some basketball. While geared toward the younger crowd, Chang Can Dunk is a fun experience.

Chang (Bloom Li) is a 5’8″ student in high school. His rival and former friend, Matt (Chase Liefeld, son of the legendary comic book artist and my good friend (Rob’s words on his WhatNot stream) Rob Liefeld), are at each other’s throats over basketball and a girl, Kristy (Zoe Renee). Their rivalry becomes real when Chang tells Matt that he will be able to dunk within ten weeks.

Bloom Li as Chang in Chang Can Dunk. Making a dunk.

This is a challenge. He’s short, not very good, and isn’t motivated to do much of anything. Throughout the movie, we’re reminded that Chang doesn’t stick with things.  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Champions

A Reel Leadership Article

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

Champions is a heartwarming story about a down-and-out basketball coach, Marcus (Woody Harrelson), who learns what it means to connect with his team, treat people with respect, and to tone down their anger. Marcus is an assistant coach who is fired from the Iowa Stallions. Why? Because he attacked the head coach, Coach Phil Perretti (Ernie Hudson of Ghostbusters fame).

This leads Marcus down a dangerous path of drinking, driving, and crashing into a parked police cruiser. In a moment of grace, the judge sentencing him sentences him to community service instead of jail time.  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Uncle Drew

A Reel Leadership Article

The new basketball comedy movie Uncle Drew tells the story of Dax (Lil Rel Howery) and his dreams of having a winning team in the Rucker Classic street basketball tournament. The Rucker Classic takes place in Harlem and the competition is fierce.

Uncle Drew cast in Harlem Buckets orange jerseys

Mookie Bass (Nick Kroll), Dax’s basketball rival, continues to badger and taunt Dax all these years later. This has created an intense rivalry between the two. One that has Dax going all out to win.

Uncle Drew is full of laughs and, surprisingly, leadership lessons. Let’s dive into the latest Reel Leadership article and seek the leadership lessons in Uncle Drew.

Caution: Uncle Drew spoilers below

Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Uncle Drew

1. Great organizations create great leaders:

The Rucker Classic was held in Rucker Park. There, great street ball players were created.  Read more...