The Basketball Strong Podcast (Tim DiFrancesco)

Pro baller. Entrepreneur. Wife. Mother. Everything Briana Butler touches turns to gold. She played for three years in the WNBA, which required her to also ball out for teams in Europe and Australia due to female pros being underpaid. Once her pro career was over, Briana decided to build on the BS in human performance she earned from USC with a master’s in clinical nutrition from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 

She and her sister - former WNBA player Stef Gilbreath, founded Power Portions, and work with collegiate, professional (NFL, NBA, WNBA, NBA G-League, Ultra Marathon & Cyclist), NFL combine, NBA combine, and health and wellness clients in private practice and under world-renowned brands such as Southern Methodist University, EXOS, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, and the Dallas Cowboys. Above all, Briana finds purpose in being a wife to her husband Brice and full-time mom to her son Braiden.

In this episode, Briana shares: 

• Why she had to play overseas as well as in the WNBA to make a living
• What kept her going through multiple injuries
• Why she went back to school to become a sports dietician
• How she teamed up with her sister to create Power Portions
• What she does to help young athletes overcome struggles with body image issues, the social media comparison trap, and nutrient deficiencies

Keep up with Briana via her Instagram feed and check out her sports nutrition services on the Power Portions website. 

Many players struggle to bounce back after one ACL tear, while two would be the end for most. So imagine suffering three ACL injuries, and being forced to sit out from the time you were a high school senior until you were a fifth-year senior in college. That’s the 1,788-day odyssey that Jelani Williams has lived through. 

Shining on his high school team as they made a perennial push to the state title game and holding his own against the likes of #1 prospect and current Denver Nugget Michael Porter, Jr., Jelani had his pick of Power 5 schools. He chose to play at Penn so that he could get an Ivy League education as well as develop his basketball skills. A savvy leader since his sophomore year, Jelani’s squad lost in the final game of the year his junior year but went on a big win streak their senior season to make it back to the state title game. But Jelani was forced to watch from the sideline after tearing his ACL. 

Just after he was cleared to play, his other knee buckled and he knew immediately what had happened and another year was lost. Then came more heartache when the same thing occurred 12 months later. Determined not to quit the game he loved, Jelani doubled down on his rehab and in November 2021 played his first college game for Penn, 1,788 after that fateful moment in high school. 

In this episode, Jelani reveals:

• Why he felt joy to see his teammates life the state championship trophy when he couldn’t play
• What impact his family and faith has had on his comeback
• How he’s been a vocal leader to his college teammates from the sidelines
• Why he kept going through three ACL surgeries
• What it means to be back on the court after so long out of the game

Follow Jelani’s comeback journey via his Instagram account. 

Many players struggle to bounce back after one ACL tear, while two would be the end for most. So imagine suffering three ACL injuries, and being forced to sit out from the time you were a high school senior until you were a fifth-year senior in college. That’s the 1,788-day odyssey that Jelani Williams has lived through. 

Shining on his high school team as they made a perennial push to the state title game and holding his own against the likes of #1 prospect and current Denver Nugget Michael Porter, Jr., Jelani had his pick of Power 5 schools. He chose to play at Penn so that he could get an Ivy League education as well as develop his basketball skills. A savvy leader since his sophomore year, Jelani’s squad lost in the final game of the year his junior year but went on a big win streak their senior season to make it back to the state title game. But Jelani was forced to watch from the sideline after tearing his ACL. 

Just after he was cleared to play, his other knee buckled and he knew immediately what had happened and another year was lost. Then came more heartache when the same thing occurred 12 months later. Determined not to quit the game he loved, Jelani doubled down on his rehab and in November 2021 played his first college game for Penn, 1,788 after that fateful moment in high school. 

In this episode, Jelani reveals:

• Why he felt joy to see his teammates life the state championship trophy when he couldn’t play
• What impact his family and faith has had on his comeback
• How he’s been a vocal leader to his college teammates from the sidelines
• Why he kept going through three ACL surgeries
• What it means to be back on the court after so long out of the game

Follow Jelani’s comeback journey via his Instagram account. 

While in his senior year at Lower Merion High School, Kobe Bryant and a friend decided that when he made it to the NBA, his journey would make a great book. So they sat down and recorded hours of audio interviews about Kobe continuing the legacy of his father Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant, the time he spent in Italy, his mom’s role in creating the Mamba Mentality, and more. Time passed and while Kobe won titles, MVPs, and Olympic gold medals, the tapes gathered dust and the book went unwritten. 

More than 20 years later, Mike Sielski got a call from his and Kobe’s mutual friend, telling him about the project and suggesting that he be the one to finish the project. Initially, the tapes were missing but they eventually turned up in a garage and the game was on. Using his experience as a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sielski augmented the Kobe tapes through exclusive interviews with Kobe’s school friends, coaches, and teachers. The result is The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality, a brilliant microcosm biography that puts you in the halls and on the court at Lower Merion and inside the mind of the most impactful basketball player of his generation. 

In this episode, Mike shares:

• How Kobe’s mom developed his winning mental approach to the game
• What it was like to be handed a treasure trove of Kobe interviews
• Why Kobe’s interests in music, literature, and culture fed into his basketball mastery
• Which pivotal moments enabled Kobe to go to the NBA straight from high school
• How he recreated Kobe’s childhood and high school days 

To get your hands on a copy of The Rise, check out Mike’s website, go deeper into the story with the companion podcast, I am Kobe, and follow Mike on Instagram. 

There’s no doubt that Olympic lifting can help athletes build strength, speed, and power. But having successfully prepared players at every level from prep school to the pros, former Lakers S&C coach, TD Athletes Edge founder, and Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Dr. Tim DiFrancesco has seen that the risks often outweigh the rewards. 

Because of their long spines, legs, and arms, basketball players’ bodies are typically ill-suited to the demands of the snatch and clean and jerk. Unlike some other team sports, they also need to develop fine motor skills. Plus, it can take years to master Olympic lifting, not to mention the difficulty of supervising large groups of players with just one or two sets of coaches’ eyes. In addition to detailing such issues in more depth, TD provides viable alternatives to the Olympic lifts that every coach can put into practice. 

In this episode, TD shares: 

• Why basketball players’ bodies aren’t usually suited to the snatch and clean and jerk
• How S+C programs designed for football often don’t translate well to basketball teams
• Why the steep learning curve of Olympic lifting - which is its own sport - is problematic
• What kinds of hinging and overhead pressing coaches can have basketball players perform instead of the Olympic lifts to provide the durability needed to excel on the court
• Which modalities can provide comparable increases in power, strength, and jumping ability without the downsides
• How and why TD talked Kobe out of Olympic lifts late in his career 

Learn more about developing basketball players’ durability with the Basketball Strong online training program and TD’s Instagram feed. 

By the end of his senior year, Osheray “O” Streeter was considered the best pure point guard in Alaska. But his ascendancy didn’t come easy. O was raised by his single mother in one of the roughest parts of Fairbanks and didn’t get to know his father until years later. Through the mentorship of a neighbor who he considers to be his big sister and a caring yet combative coach, O pushed himself to excel every time he stepped on the hardwood. 

O turned down multiple D2 and D3 scholarship offers to pursue his dream of balling at a D1 school. He had to take a break from the game to earn a spot on a university squad, and finally made good on his promise to himself. Now retired from competitive basketball, O is committed to helping young players fulfill their potential through his dual roles as physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach. 

In this episode, O reveals:

• How he rose above drugs and crime in an impoverished area
• Why he chose to forgive his father for not being around and how their relationship blossomed
• What it means to be a pitbull on both ends of the court 
• How he overcame being an undersized guard 
• What it was like to be out of the game for two years and then earn a spot on a college squad
• The classic mistake that young basketball players make when using plyometrics to boost their vertical jump 
• The keys to building basketball durability during rehab and training

Learn more from O by following him on Instagram. 

18-time NBA All-Star. Five-time NBA champion. 2-time Finals MVP. Kobe Bryant’s legacy as the greatest player since Michael Jordan is unparalleled. Most of what has been said about Kobe has been through third parties, but Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco had the blessing of coaching Kobe up close over four years with the Lakers.

In this episode, Tim and co-host Phil White discuss eight lessons for basketball and life that Kobe taught TD. Listen on and you will discover an intimate portrait of:

·      A pre-game story you have never heard about Kobe fighting through back pain to play at Madison Square Gard

·      A surprising truth about Kobe and self-doubt alongside insecurities 

·      What drove the Mamba Mentality

·       How Kobe and TD often worked out in the middle of the night

·       Who was able to get into Kobe’s inner circle and the level of trust it took to do so

·       Why the Black Mamba is so much more than a nickname

·       What TD misses most about Kobe (RIP Mamba and G)

Check out more of TD’s courtside Kobe memories on his Instagram feed and in THIS blog post written by TD. 

On April 26, 2021, Jonathan Tjarks tweeted: “There's no easy way to say this. I've been diagnosed with cancer. The doctors aren't entirely sure what kind it is, but they think it is one of two kinds of sarcomas. I've already begun chemotherapy. Please keep me, my wife, and our one-year-old son in your prayers.” He then wrote an article for The Ringer titled “The Long Night of the Soul” explaining where his head and heart were at as he underwent chemo. 

By this time, Jonathan had been an NBA writer for The Ringer for a couple of years. He began his sportswriting career working for his high school and college newspapers. After writing for a political news website, Jonathan realized he’d rather be writing about sports, and so started a basketball blog. Jonathan also contributed to Mavs Moneyball and eventually earned a press credential that helped him cover his hometown Dallas Mavericks in even greater depth. After years of taking freelance writing gigs, Jonathan’s passionate and insightful stories caught the eye of editors at The Ringer, who offered him a staff writer position. As the site grew its podcasts, Jonathan started co-hosting Upside High with fellow scribe Kyle Mann. 

In this episode, Jonathan shares: 

• The unorthodox story of how he found God
• Why faith and family have provided a firm foundation during his cancer treatment
• How Juwan Howard reacted when he swiped players’ popcorn in the American Airlines Arena visitors’ locker room 
• Why Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler were perfect complements to Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavs’ 2011 NBA title team 
• Why the Mavs were actually better off after letting Steve Nash get away
• What he sees as the future of sports journalism despite major changes due to COVID

To keep up with Jonathan, follow him on Twitter, listen to his Upside High podcast with Kyle Mann, and read his articles for The Ringer. 

When the Brooklyn Nets traded for Ben Simmons, many fans expected to see the big, All-Defense Australian guard on the court right away, as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and co made their final push toward the playoffs. But it soon became apparent that because of his lengthy spell on the sidelines, Simmons wasn’t ready for NBA primetime. 

In this episode, co-host Tim DiFrancesco (TD)  uses the experience he gained in six seasons as the Lakers’ S&C coach to share how the Nets’ performance and medical staff are getting Simmons court-ready. TD also shares a simple way that any listener can reduce their injury risk by avoiding spikes in their training and competition workload. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s not surprising that it is taking Ben Simmons a while to get back into NBA game shape
• How coming back too fast and logging high minutes too early could put him at risk
• What you can do to assess your acute-to-chronic workload
• How avoiding sudden spikes in load can keep you healthy
• How to reduce injury risk while resuming any sport or recreational activity
• Why Simmons’s return to play holds a valuable lesson about patience and gradual progress

Drew Hanlen is a basketball skills coach and consultant who counts NBA stars Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Zach LaVine, Kelly Oubre Jr, Jordan Clarkson, RJ Barrett & more as full-time clients. He also trains and consults with multiple NBA elite collegiate basketball players, and conducts team workouts and clinics all over the world as CEO of Pure Sweat Basketball.

His goal is to help players and coaches maximize their basketball potential by providing the latest skill development info, teaching points, and drills. To further this aim, Drew launched the Pure Sweat Basketball Workouts app, which has ranked as high as #35 overall in the App Store and is also available for Android devices. Pure Sweat also offers multiple courses and retreats to help coaches advance their careers and fitness professionals who train basketball players become more effective.

In this episode, you’ll hear Drew share:

·       Which sacrifices he made to pursue his coaching dreams

·       How he started coaching NBA All-Star Bradley Beal while still in high school

·       Why he continues to grind hard every single day

·       What working with NBA stars like Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum can teach you about commitment

·       Who inspired him to give back to underprivileged young people in Haiti

Learn more about Drew’s work by following him on Twitter.

After struggling with an abdominal injury since before he helped Team USA win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Damian Lillard had season-ending surgery. LeBron James has missed multiple games with an ab strain this season, and other players have battled sports hernias. We all know that you need a strong core in basketball to transfer power from your lower body and preserve stability during contact, but these types of injuries seem to be increasingly common in the pros and even among college and high school players. 

While with the Lakers, Basketball Strong co-host saw first-hand how to responsibly integrate core training into the regimens of All-Stars, NBA champions, and rookies alike. In this episode, he shares: 

A simple guide to the anatomy of the abdominal region

• Reasons that Dame, LeBron and other players might have become injured 
• Why the longer torsos of basketball players and tall athletes can complicate core work
• More sustainable ways to train your trunk 
• What to do if you have an ab strain or think a sports hernia might be developing

When Dan Grunfeld’s grandmother was a teenager, “Life was nothing more than a loving family, a tall tree, and an endless supply of sweet, juicy cherries.” But in an instant, the Nazis overran Europe and murdered her parents and five siblings in the Holocaust. Somehow Anyu and a sister survived the liquidation of the Budapest ghetto and after she married another Holocaust survivor, they escaped the Communist rule that dominated Eastern Europe after the war and emigrated to New York City. 

Dan’s father, Ernie, was bullied because he couldn’t speak English and lost his beloved older brother to leukemia. But before his brother passed, he predicted that Ernie would overcome all his obstacles and become great.

Basketball gave him the chance to fulfill this prophecy, and as his parents worked long hours in their fabric store, Ernie honed his game, earning a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. There he formed a dynamic partnership with Bernard King, and “Ernie and Bernie” rode roughshod over their SEC competitors. Soon, the little boy who was picked on was a strong man standing atop the Olympic podium with a gold medal around his neck, then an NBA champion, and later the GM of the Knicks and Wizards. His son Dan followed in his footsteps, starring at Stanford and playing pro ball in Europe for eight years. All the while, Anyu was the family’s rock, as Dan shares in his moving family history By the Grace of the Game. 

In this episode, Dan reveals: 

• How his grandmother survived the Holocaust with the help of an unsung hero
• What it was like for a family to leave everything they knew to come to New York
• Why he keeps a spoon beside his bed as a potent symbol of the human will to endure
• How basketball gave his father a chance to transform an immigrant family’s story 
• What the game and his family story have taught him about hard work, perseverance, forgiveness, and hope 
• The time a young Carmelo Anthony blocked his shot into the stands during his first practice at ABCD Camp
• How Jamal Crawford was asking him for help on how to be better in Mike D’Antoni’s offense with the New York Knicks

To hear the rest of Dan’s profound story, read By The Grace of the Game, and connect with him on his website and via Twitter.  

When the Villanova Wildcats square off against the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2022 Final Four in front of thousands of fans in the stands and millions watching on TV, all eyes will be on star players Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore and head coach Jay Wright. Yet behind the scenes, there’s a world-class group of professionals getting the players ready to give their best as they chase a national championship. And the role of longtime performance coach John Shackleton is vital. 

Joining us live from New Orleans just hours before tipoff, John (aka Shack) shares:

• Why being detail-oriented sets Villanova up for deep runs into the NCAA Tournament every year
• Which workouts are most effective in the week leading up to the Final Four
• How the performance staff helps players make solid nutrition and hydration choices
• What it takes to eliminate Final Four distractions and lock in mentally
• Why getting outdoors in sunlight is crucial to players’ sleep patterns in New Orleans

Follow John on Instagram and learn more about his coaching on his website

Since he first burst onto the basketball scene via jaw-dropping YouTube highlight reels as a teenager, the hoops world has been captivated by Zion’s hops, power, and charisma. When he was recruited by Coach K for a one-and-done season at Duke, everyone realized that the hype was real and Zion was destined for superstardom on the hardwood. This was confirmed when the New Orleans Pelicans selected the manchild with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. But as fast as Zion’s rise has been, it has also been maligned by injuries - to his knees when he infamously busted through the side of his Nike shoe at Duke and then when he partially tore his meniscus. Then came the fifth metatarsal break that has prevented Zion from building on the promise he showed while averaging 27 points a game last year. 

In this episode, Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco (TD) breaks down: 

• Zion’s injury pattern since his days at Duke
• The ins and outs of a fifth metatarsal fracture
• How what TD witnessed with Julius Randle’s injury at the Lakers should give Zion fans hope
• Why Zion’s rehab has taken so long, and cannot be rushed
• The importance of every player developing solid jump-landing mechanics and using resistance training to make their bones and connective tissues more resilient

Keep an eye out for more NBA hot topics and inside looks into player injuries in future episodes of the Basketball Strong Podcast. And check out TD’s Instagram for more durability and performance tips. 

A lot of basketball legends are either great players or coaches. But Byron Scott is one of the few who can legitimately claim to be both (though he’s too humble to say so). As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty, Byron won three NBA championships. He also lost a few bitterly contested Finals showdowns with the Lakers’ arch-nemesis: the Boston Celtics. 

Once he moved from the hardwood to the bench, Byron quickly asserted his strong values and coaching principles, leading the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals and earning Coach of the Year honors. He went on to coach Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career, and make a mark as a mentor to the young guns who are now in starring roles for teams across the League. 

In this episode, Byron reveals: 

• What made the leadership group of Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy work so well
• What Riley taught him about standing firm in the face of adversity
• Why he came to faith following his father’s close brush with death and how this guides his life
• His favorite MJ story

Want to hear more from Byron? Follow him on Instagram and listen to his excellent show, Off the Dribble with Byron Scott. 

Sponsored by Weartesters: https://weartesters.com/ 

LeBron James is having yet another stellar season for the Lakers, leading the NBA in scoring at 30.3 points per game, along with 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists. But after missing time with knee and abdominal issues earlier in the year, he is now out with an ankle sprain. A star in the making at the other end of his career, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ sensational Evan Mobley is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. But when he came down on the foot of the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, Evan suffered a similar injury to LeBron and is now stuck on the sideline. 

In this episode, Basketball Strong co-host and former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco breaks down:

• How LeBron and Evan’s injuries are similar but different
• What all three grades of ankle sprain and why RICE is no longer the go-to treatment
• Why LeBron’s injury history enables him to play through pain
• How the Lakers’ and Cavs’ races for playoff and play-in spots factor into LeBron and Evan’s returns to the lineup
• Which exercises you anyone can do to speed up recovery from an ankle sprain

Stay dialed into the Basketball Strong Podcast for more episodes about treating and reducing the risk of injury, and check out TD’s Instagram feed to see videos, tips, and more. 

• He grew up idolizing Larry Bird and the Celtics
• Gary Vitti recruited him for the Lakers 
• Mitch Kupchak taught a valuable lesson about the Celtics-Lakers rivalry
• Metta World Peace and Steve Blake planned his initiation into the Lakers family
• Metta’s lateness led to an unusual ceremony at half court on the Celtics’ iconic leprechaun 

A lot of shoe reviewers (aka shoetubers) these days get free pairs of all the latest kicks. But growing up in the Bay Area, Chris Chase was mocked on the blacktop for having $40 Payless shoes. This hurt but paled in comparison to the other challenges Chris faced daily in a single-parent home where times were tough, dinner was often pasta and ketchup, and substance abuse sometimes forced him to live with relatives. 

Fascinated by action figures and comic books at first, Chris soon became captivated by kicks and was eventually gifted a pair of iconic Air Jordan XIs by a half-brother he never knew he had until his mid-teens. As Chris struck out on his own, he only had money for rent and utilities and had to walk four miles each way to work at an AMC theater, where soda and popcorn were his staple diet. But as tight as his money was, this job provided the skills and mentorship he needed, preparing him to maintain and then manage apartment complexes. Unable to find performance reviews when he could afford basketball shoes, he started doing his own, and a few years later, a partnership with Drew Whitcomb grew into Weartesters, the leading sneaker review channel and website. 

In this episode, Chris shares:

• Why growing up without much gave him the gift of hustle 
• What he did to survive when he went out on his own
• How a mentor and his best friend changed his path
• Why everything happens for a reason
• What it means to have a supportive spouse and caring business partner 

Keep up with Chris’s latest videos on the Weartesters YouTube channel, check out their Instagram feed, and support him by subscribing to the Weartesters’ members-only Discord. 

The Dallas Mavericks’ All-Star Luka Doncic was putting up MVP-like numbers in the final few weeks of the regular season. But then in the final game against the San Antonio Spurs, he went down with what has been confirmed to be a calf strain. Now the Mavs face a worrying wait ahead of their first-round matchup in the Western Conference playoffs against Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz.b

In this episode, former Lakers strength coach Tim DiFrancesco breaks down:

• Which muscles make up the calf
• How calf strains are graded and the return-to-play timeline for each
• Why Luka’s style might allow him to get back on the court sooner than a high flying player
• What setbacks are common in rehabbing a calf strain
• Which exercises can help a player come back and not get re-injured

Keep listening for weekly episodes related to NBA injuries during the playoffs, and check out TD’s Instagram feed for more info on treating and reducing the risk of common issues. 

In the past few weeks, the Boston Celtics have soared up the Eastern Conference rankings, securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But their championship dreams are limited by whether versatile big man Robert Williams III comes back from a partially torn meniscus. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls announced that guard Lonzo Ball had been ruled out for the rest of the season after a complication 

In his rehab from meniscus surgery. 

In this episode, former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco (TD) breaks down:

• What exactly happened to the meniscus of Robert Williams III and Lonzo Ball
• Which roles the meniscus plays in knee structure and shock absorption
• Why Ball might have had a setback
• How long Williams’s post-surgery return to play might take 
• Why resistance training can help reduce the risk of meniscus, ligament, and tendon injuries 

Subscribe to the show for a weekly episode on current hot topics and injury updates from the NBA, and follow TD on Instagram for more tips on bulletproofing your body. 

Few families can boast of one person competing in the NBA Dunk Contest, but the Nances have two: Larry Nance Sr beat Dr. J in 1984, and his son, Larry Nance Jr finished second in 2018. The latter currently plies his basketball trade for the New Orleans Pelicans after they acquired him from the Portland Trailblazers just before the trade deadline in February 2022. Beforehand, the Cavs had inked Larry to a four-year, $44.8 million contract. 

Previously, Nance played for three and half seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers, who selected him with the 27th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. He earned this first-round status with a stellar career at the University of Wyoming, where he led the Cowboys to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and was named 2× First-team All-MWC, MWC Defensive Player of the Year, and 2× MWC All-Defensive Team. Beyond the accolades, Larry had to fight hard to live with Crohn’s Disease, which stunted his growth as a teenager before the condition was diagnosed. 

In this episode, listen to Larry share about:

• What it was like growing up as the son of an NBA legend
• Why being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease marked a turning point and a growth spurt
• How he earned a scholarship despite his medical condition and only playing JV as a junior
• What happened in his Lakers pre-draft workout that prompted the team to draft him
• Who gave him the secret to making it in the NBA

Keep up with Larry on his Instagram feed and support the great work of his foundation, Athletes vs. Crohn's & Colitis, on their website.

Sponsored by Weartesters: https://weartesters.com/ 

In Part 1, Dan Grunfeld (Ep. 17) talks about his experience training with Crazy Frank while playing at Stanford. 

In this episode, Dan shares:

• How Frank had him sprinting up sand hills + carrying buckets of sand
• How the physical training was extreme but how Frank always knew when to pull you back
• How Dan took Frank’s mantra “your mind will always give out before your body” to heart
• What it means to have a coach pushing you at the highest level
• Why knowing that you outworked everyone else during the off-season gives you more than a physical edge

A lot of basketball legends are either great players or coaches. But Byron Scott is one of the few who can legitimately claim to be both (though he’s too humble to say so). As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty, Byron won three NBA championships. He also lost a few bitterly contested Finals showdowns with the Lakers’ arch-nemesis: the Boston Celtics. 

Once he moved from the hardwood to the bench, Byron quickly asserted his strong values and coaching principles, leading the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals and earning Coach of the Year honors. He went on to coach Kobe Bryant in the twilight of his career and make a mark as a mentor for the young guns who are now in starring roles for teams across the League. 

In this episode, Byron shares: 

• The transition from playing to coaching
• How the '80s Showtime Lakers had more leaders than Magic Johnson
• The Hall of Fame coaches who planted the coaching seed in him
• What it was like to mentor a young Kobe
• What shocked him about Kobe in those early years

Want to hear more from Byron? Follow him on Instagram and listen to his excellent show, Off the Dribble with Byron Scott. 

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but unfortunately for several teams, their chances of progressing have taken a hit. In this injury roundup, former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco (TD)  zeroes in on Devin Booker’s hamstring strain, Fred VanVleet’s hip flexor strain, Joel Embiid’s thumb ligament tear, and Khris Middleton’s MCL sprain. 

Listen as TD shares: 

• How Embiid’s UCL tear might affect his game
• What role Booker’s injury history plays in his latest hamstring issue
• Why Khris Middleton’s return to play timeline is uncertain
• What Raptors fans can expect to see with VanVleet’s possible playoff return
• The differences between ligament sprains and muscle strains
• Exercises to make muscles and connective tissues more resilient and reduce your injury risk

Stay dialed into the Basketball Strong for more playoff injury insights, and check out TD’s Instagram feed for preventative measures and rehab tips. 

We’ve already seen multiple All-Stars and key role players go down in the NBA Playoffs. You might be wondering why seemingly indestructible athletes in their prime are getting hurt at this pivotal time in the pro basketball calendar, whether injury rates are higher now than back in the day, and what can be done to minimize the chances of getting hurt.

In which case, you’ll enjoy this episode, as former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco gives an insider’s view into: 

• Why consistently loading muscles and connective tissues with resistance training keeps them resilient
• How NBA players pick their spots for when to push and when to back off during the season
• What factors NBA performance and medical staff when making load management decisions
• Why a combination of increased playoff intensity and volume plus decreased load exposure increases injury risk
• What it means to earn your recovery and why you can’t simply swap hard work for rest

Keep tuning in to the show for more locker room insights into the inner workings of NBA playoff basketball and get exclusive extra context on TD’s Instagram feed. 

Since starring for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, Marcus Smart has made a name for himself as a rugged defender capable of guarding all five positions, a capable ball handler, and a reliable shooter. During the Boston Celtics’ sweep of the New Jersey Nets, Smart showed his Defensive Player of the Year chops, shutting down Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during key stretches. But in the first game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Smart was in the locker room with a neck stinger. After returning to the court, he suffered two impacts to his quad, leading to a questionable status for game two. 

In this episode, former Lakers S+C coach Tim DiFrancesco (TD) explains:

• What a neck stinger is and how it caused Smart’s arm to temporarily lose function and sensation
• How the injury compares to a similar one sustained by Chris Paul in last year’s playoffs
• Why two hits to Smart’s quad have put his game 2 status in jeopardy
• How such an issue can lead to myositis ossificans (bone growth in the muscle)
• What the Celtics’ medical staff might do to protect Smart as the playoffs progress

Keep listening for more NBA Playoffs injury roundups, and check out the TD Athletes Edge website for injury reduction and treatment tips and tools. 

Growing up in Flagstaff, Arizona, Paul Fabritiz followed the example of his older volleyball-playing sister to increase his vertical jump. He also worked on his shooting and skills and became a college-level player. But every season, he seemed to suffer a major injury to his hands, wrists, or feet, and after playing at Mesa Community College and Northern Arizona University, Paul decided to focus his efforts on coaching. This led to him earning a degree in exercise and wellness. 

During his final year at Arizona State University, Paul hustled to build his nascent coaching business using an evidence-based approach. Doubling down after graduation, he began training ASU players and others who wanted to not only increase their vertical leap, but also become more durable on the court. When Rob Pelinka reached out about Paul training the NBA players and college-to-pros talents he represented at the time, Paul moved to Southern California and continued to grow PJF Performance into one of the most respected basketball training companies on the planet. 

In this episode, Paul shares: 

• How his mom prepared him for the grind to become one of the best in his industry
• Avoiding workload spikes to help reduce injury risk
• How AAU is causing 12-year-old players to be injured at alarming rates
• Ways to combat the AAU injury cycle & speed of today’s game
• Why upper body resistance training is so key for basketball players 

To learn more about Paul’s coaching, visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

In another neck-and-neck NBA MVP race, Joel Embiid matched the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic every step of the way. And with James Harden coming to the 76ers in a late-season Ben Simmons trade, Philly’s fans had every reason to hope that this squad could take them back to the Allen Iverson and Dr. J glory days. But then Embiid suffered what is likely a torn UCL in his hand/thumb and took a Pascal Siakam elbow to his eye, fracturing an orbital bone and giving him a mild concussion. Even though the Sixers made it past the Toronto Raptors, they now face an uphill climb against Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. 

To get an expert opinion on both of Embiid’s injuries, we called up former Lakers team physician Dr. Daniel Kharrazi. In this episode, he shares: 

• How thumb injuries typically occur in basketball
• What having a torn UCL or RCL means for Embiid’s shooting, catching, and other on-court movements
• How a new internal brace technology helped Drew Brees and Mike Trout came back quickly from UCL tear surgery 
• Complications to consider when suffering a fracture to a facial/orbital bone fracture 
• Why Embiid will likely wear a face mask against the Heat
• Which symptoms are post-concussion red flags 

Learn more about Dr. Kharrazi HERE. Subscribe to the Basketball Strong Podcast for more NBA playoff injury updates + follow TD on Twitter for pre-hab and rehab tips and techniques. 

Growing up in Flagstaff, Arizona, Paul Fabritiz followed the example of his older volleyball-playing sister to increase his vertical jump. He also worked on his shooting and skills and became a college-level player. But every season, he seemed to suffer a major injury to his hands, wrists, or feet, and after playing at Mesa Community College and Northern Arizona University, Paul decided to focus his efforts on coaching. This led to him earning a degree in exercise and wellness. 

During his final year at Arizona State University, Paul hustled to build his nascent coaching business using an evidence-based approach. Doubling down after graduation, he began training ASU players and others who wanted to not only increase their vertical leap, but also become more durable on the court. When Rob Pelinka reached out about Paul training the NBA players and college-to-pros talents he represented at the time, Paul moved to Southern California and continued to grow PJF Performance into one of the most respected basketball training companies on the planet. 

In this episode, Paul shares: 

An easy way to manage your workloads to reduce injury risk and overtraining 

• A simplified way to measure your own acute to chronic workload ratio 
• Why he cringes when he sees basketball players using Olympic lifts in their training 
• Why he teaches his bounciest athletes not only how to land, but how to fall properly too
• The secret training tip that the world’s best professional DUNKERS all commonly use
• The 3 strategies he used to boost his own vertical jump from 32”-47”
• Why every drill and exercise you do with basketball players should NOT be basketball-specific 
• What a trial session with James Harden taught him about the power of authenticity
• How Rob Pelinka giving him a chance to work with NBA players changed his coaching trajectory

To learn more about Paul’s coaching, visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

Brooklyn Nets fans hoped to see recently acquired stopper Ben Simmons provide a similar level of defense in their series against the Boston Celtics. Not only was he unable to play, but Simmons also needed microdiscetomy surgery to treat a herniated disc. 

We brought back former Lakers team physician and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dan Kharrazi. 

On this episode, Dr. Kharrazi shared: 

• Why Simmons needed surgery and what it involved
• The return to play timeline and prognosis for a microdiscectomy back surgery
• How the mileage on young pro players can change their disc structure
• What role core strengthening and proper mechanics can play in reducing Simmons’ risk of reinjury
• The answer to the question of why Ben Simmons didn’t have the surgery during his recent season off from playing
• Comparison to other NBA players such as Dwight Howard who have had this back surgery
• If it is concerning that such a young player is having a back surgery and if this is an indicator that he could have back problems throughout his career
• If it’s true that having a microdiscectomy or other back surgery means that the patient won’t have back pain furthermore
• How herniations can worsen in severity and the medical classification system that surgeons use to quantify severity 

Learn more about Dr. Kharrazi HERE. For more insights from Dr. Kharrazi, check out his Basketball Strong episode on Joel Embiid’s facial and thumb injuries, and listen in on more injury updates throughout the Playoffs. 

What would happen if a current NBA coach ran players until they threw up or fell over in pre-season training camp? How would today’s All-Stars react to a “no layups” policy that left them on the ground during drills? There’d be big trouble now, but back in the 90s, Pat Riley made New York Knicks practices look like Navy SEAL Hell Week, and opponents feared playing in Madison Square Garden. 

This toughness is not only traced back to Riley’s upbringing in gritty Schenectady, but also to his own playing days for Kentucky and in the NBA. Then there was the roughing up that the Boston Celtics gave Riley’s Lakers in their seesaw battle for mid-80s supremacy. All three came to bear when Riley left the Showtime Lakers and molded the Knicks into the toughest team in pro basketball history. Not merely tough guys, the Knicks made it to the Finals twice, pushed Jordan’s Bulls to seven games, and had legendary rivalries with Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. 

A decade before, it was the Celtics who ruled the East, with a combination of front-line toughness and the unparalleled skill of Larry Bird. When Bill Walton joined the team and was finally able to put in a full injury-free season, Bird, McHale, and co made it to the top of the NBA mountain one last time. Chris Herring and Dan Shaughnessy chronicled these eras in their fascinating books Blood in the Garden and Wish It Lasted Forever. 

In this episode, they share: 

• How Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis in the 1984 Finals galvanized Pat Riley’s approach
• How Larry Bird called MJ the greatest player he’d ever seen before he turned into the GOAT
• The time Larry Bird made a bet that he could bank a 3-point shot in during a game
• The conduit that connected the 80’s Celtics with the 90’s Knicks 
• How Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, Patrick Ewing and the 90s Knicks pushed Michael Jordan’s Bulls to the brink and almost won an NBA championship
• Why the Knicks’ failure to win a title in the 90s obscures how great they really were
• The theory that Doc Rivers provided to explain how Pat Riley contributed to John Starks going 2/18 in the 1994 NBA Finals game 7
• What direct player access did to enhance NBA reporting, and why it might be gone forever

Read the full stories of the 90s Knicks in Chris’s book Blood in the Garden and follow him on Twitter. Relive the Celtics’ 80s glory days in Dan’s book Wish It Lasted Forever and check out his Twitter feed. 

To excel on the court, basketball players need to master individual skills like shooting, ball handling, and rebounding, as well as how to play offense and defense as a team. But to handle the demands of contact with opponents, jumping and landing, accelerating and decelerating, and changing direction, they need to bulletproof their bodies off the court. Recently, Basketball Strong co-host/former Lakers strength coach Tim DiFrancesco and S&C coach Michelle Boland had a great conversation about the nuances of preparing basketball players to be durable and maximize their athleticism sustainably. 

In this episode, Michelle and Tim share: 

• How contrasting the high power and speed output of the game with slower tempo training 
• Why training your hips and core to work together is key to sports performance
• What you can do to better absorb force 
• How tension can restrict movement and why your body must open up before it closes
• What the 5+1 lower body zones are and how to load them to reduce injury risk
• Why repeatability of sub-maximal efforts will better prepare you for the game than one-rep maxes

To learn more about training basketball players and other athletes to be more durable and perform better for longer, follow Michelle on Instagram, check out her website. 

It can be tough for a coach to yell at you, and in our current culture, parents can get involved to try and tone things down a bit. But from his earliest days learning the game from his father all the way to the NBA, Steve Blake learned how to play the point guard position right by learning lessons in toughness and resilience from old school coaches who weren’t afraid to yell when necessary. 

A precocious high school talent, Steve won a state championship at Miami High with Udonis Haslem, the iron man who is currently the oldest player in the NBA, and future USC coach Frank Martin. He then transferred to Oak Hill Academy, the Virginia prep school that has produced such pro talents as Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, and Jerry Stackhouse, where he played for legendary coach Steve Smith. Blake then benefited from the tutelage of Hall of Famer Gary Williams, starting at the University of Maryland as a freshman and leading the Terrapins to a national championship. Blake then spent 13 seasons in the NBA with the Wizards, Lakers, and three stints with the Blazers. 

In this episode, Steve shares:

• What it means to be a pass-first point guard
• How to develop quiet leadership when you’re an introvert
• Why he embraced the tough love of Frank Martin, Steve Smith, and Gary Williams
• How to handle game-day pressure 
• What makes Udonis Haslem such a wonderful teammate and friend 

To see more from Steve, follow him on Instagram. 

When people talk about Canadian basketball players, they usually think of Steve Nash and Andrew Wiggins first. But there’s a new breed of ballers from the Great White North, and Tyler Ennis is one of the best. His father, Tony, is a legendary coach who basically invented AAU-style travel ball north of the border. Tyler’s parents moved the family south to St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey so that their son would have a better chance of landing a Division 1 college scholarship. 

As a standout guard, the five-star recruit did just that, getting a full ride to play at Syracuse. In his first season balling for the Orange, Tyler earned All-ACC second team, All-ACC Freshmen Team, and All-ACC Defensive Team honors. On February 28, 2014, Ennis was named one of the ten semi-finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year, and proceeded to lead the Orange past Western Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tyler’s decision to then go pro was validated when he was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. After spending time on the roster and in the D League, Tyler was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and later played for the Houston Rockets and LA Lakers, before taking his talents to Turkey. 

In this episode, Tyler riffs on: 

• What being in “Night School” with a young Giannis Antetokounmpo taught him 
• How Jason Kidd showed him what it means to be a floor general
• Why playing overseas has added to his game
• How he’s keeping the faith after battling back from a leg fracture and achilles tendon rupture
• What young players should know about the hard path to college and the League

Keep up with Tyler’s basketball journey on his Instagram feed and on Twitter HERE

This episode is brought to you by:

Stria Sport: https://striasport.com
Weartesters: https://weartesters.com

In the 1980s the Boston Celtics ruled the East, with a combination of front-line toughness and the unparalleled skill of Larry Bird. When Bill Walton joined the team and was finally able to put in a full injury-free season, Bird, McHale, and co made it to the top of the NBA mountain one last time. Dan Shaughnessy chronicled this era in his fascinating book Wish It Lasted Forever. 

In this mini-pod episode, Dan shares a story titled The Bitch is Back about the heated playoff banter between Bernard King and the great trash-talker, Cedric Maxwell. 

Relive the Celtics’ 80s glory days in Dan’s book Wish It Lasted Forever and check out his Twitter feed. 

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the LA Lakers looked like the heir apparent to Michael Jordan’s throne, with Shaq dominating in the post and Kobe Bryant coming into his own as the league’s emerging superstar. And when Jordan’s coach Phil Jackson took over, the final piece of the championship puzzle seemed to be in place. But in game 2 of the 2000 Finals, the Laker’s title run was jeopardized when Kobe went down with a severe ankle sprain. 

Somehow, Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti and his team got Bryant back on the floor for a pivotal game 4. In this episode, Gary shares: 

• How winning through pain helped Kobe replace “can’t” and “won’t” in his vocabulary with the “can” and “will” of the Mamba mentality
• Why heading to Indianapolis helped Kobe return to play sooner than if the series had stayed in LA
• When an argument over a thumb injury led to Gary bumping Kobe’s head
• How he used the example of Isaiah Thomas’s injury in the 1988 NBA Finals to inspire Kobe 
• What Kobe did in game 4 after Shaq fouled out to set the Lakers up to win their first title since Magic retired

To hear more of Gary’s stories about Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Kareem, and Pat Riley, listen to our previous Basketball Strong episode with him, and read his book 32 Years of Titles and Tears from the Best Seat in the House. 

David Hollander’s love of basketball began when his father put up a hoop and poured a 12x12-foot blacktop court in the family’s backyard. It immediately became his sanctuary and sowed a seed that would eventually lead David to shape a new generation. While his brother was a high school record-setter, David jokes that the only high mark he set was in technical fouls. But he maintained a passion for the game and his stellar grades led him to law school. 

From there came a winding path through marketing, music, and film. David started interviewing athletes on the side, leading to him becoming the Huffington Post’s first sports reporter and, later, a book (52 Weeks). His work drew the attention of New York University (NYU), and after his first guest lecture to students, he went home and told his wife that he’d found his calling. He began lecturing at the NYU SPS Tisch Institute for Global Sport and quickly became a favorite with colleagues and students alike, winning multiple teaching excellence awards. In 2019, David launched his most popular course to date, How Basketball Can Save the World, which will be released in book form in 2023. 

In this episode, David shares: 

• How Dr. James Naismith’s original basketball rules inspired him to create 13 principles, including cooperation, balancing the individual and the collection, and being positionless 
• Why the game gives him peace and balance and is an antidote to isolation and loneliness
• How basketball transcends social, religious, cultural, and economic boundaries and can save the world! 
• How he teaches students to be fully present and think independently in his second sanctuary - the classroom 

Pre-order David’s book, How Basketball Can Save the World and follow the Instagram feed. 

When Danielle Viglione was 11, she boldly told her parents that she was going to run a marathon. They compromised on a half-marathon and were surprised when their determined daughter not only finished the 13.1-mile course, but crossed the line in second place. This was just one indicator of the fierce competitor that Danielle was becoming. It became even more apparent when she shattered California state and national basketball scoring records, including several set by the legendary Cheryl Miller. 

Part of Danielle’s scoring prowess came from her embracing the three-pointer long before it became so popular, once hitting the same number of triples in a game as Klay Thompson’s NBA record (14). While playing for the University of Texas, Danielle showed that she was equally committed in the classroom, and was named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She went on to play for the Sacramento Monarchs in the first WNBA season and then spent nine seasons playing pro overseas. Since hanging up her sneakers, Danielle co-founded Sacramento Skills Academy and is an in-demand speaker and camp coach.  

In this episode, Danielle shares: 

• How she was motivated by beating her brother and the neighborhood boys on the court
• Why her daily routine of making 500 shots was so effective                             
• What lessons she learned about hoops and life from Hall of Fame coach Jody Conradt
• When her faith and skills came together in her most memorable game                        
• How she’s impacting women’s basketball through Sacramento Skills Academy and Athletes Unlimited

Train with Danielle at Sacramento Skills Academy and follow her on Instagram.

When he was 11 years old, Gabe DenBraber’s parents revealed some stunning news: he couldn’t play able-bodied sports anymore. Gabe was born with spina bifida, but played baseball for years. Then came two surgeries that compromised the use of his legs and with it, words that every parent would dread saying. Gabe grieved the loss of the game he loved and questioned his faith, but one day his Dad had an idea that would change everything: why not try wheelchair basketball. 

Quickly learning the sport, Gabe gained confidence as his skills improved. He also developed an unbreakable mindset that kept him going through falls, further surgeries, and other setbacks. In his junior year, Gabe’s team captured a national championship and followed it by winning the NIT tournament the following year. This led to offers from several high-ranked college squads and Gabe choosing to play for the storied University of Illinois program, which has won 15 national titles. He has since tried out for the senior national team and been named a captain of Team USA’s under-23 team. 

In this episode, Gabe shares how he:

• Decided that you can either let life take you or you can take life
• Channeled the belief of coaches Lee Montgomery and Steve Buchi to develop unshakeable confidence
• Used a rough regular season as fuel for a national championship run
• Kept telling the world “yes” when it told him “no”
• Made the cut for Team USA U23 and helped the team win gold in Mexico as a captain
• Chose to always get up after falling down
• Connected with a ball boy whose father was killed in front of him by a drug cartel

Follow Gabe’s journey on his Instagram channel and Twitter feed, and keep your eyes peeled for the Bigger than the Chair documentary on him that’s coming soon. 

Mitch Kupchak grew up in a different America with parents whose upbringing in the Great Depression instilled a strong work ethic but left little time for sports. But as Mitch grew into his 6-foot-10 frame, it soon became apparent that he was destined for something special on the hardwood. As his skills caught up with his size, several college coaches came calling, and it was a simple, honest pitch from Dean Smith that convinced the young man to attend the University of North Carolina. 

Once at Chapel Hill, Mitch was molded into the man he became by a combination of Smith’s leadership and his own diligence. This earned him a berth on the gold medal winning Team USA squad in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and a roster spot for the Washington Bullets, where he won the NBA championship with Hall of Famers Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes. Mitch battled through several serious knee injuries to win two more titles with the Showtime Lakers, and then undertook an apprenticeship under Jerry West, who prepared him for life in the front office. Kupchak eventually took over the Lakers GM role from West, winning two more championships with the Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol team. He is now the President of Basketball Operations and VP of the Charlotte Hornets. 

In this episode, Mitch shares: 

• How his upbringing built a firm foundation for success
• What Dean Smith taught him about leading a gold medal life
• Why his Bullets teammate Ernie Grunfeld became his best friend
• How Jerry West prepared him to be an NBA GM
• What he remembers from watching a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant work out for the Lakers 

Growing up in a house with competitive sisters and parents who were both sporty and creative, perhaps it’s no surprise that Hannah O’Flynn excelled on the basketball court, the track, and the soccer field. Showing that she wouldn’t back down from the boys, either, Hannah mixed it up in recess football games and played on both men’s and women’s middle school teams. She then went from idolizing the girls on the high school varsity squad to being one of them, learning how to win in basketball and life from her coach Mandy Zegarowki and Mandy’s husband, Zach. 

Deciding to go to college at Dartmouth, Hannah juggled running track with playing in several bands and pursuing a major in Film, Media, and Studio Art. After graduating, Hannah went to work for the NBA, where she learned the ins and outs of the sports broadcasting business and developed a knack for creating enticing content quickly. She has since moved on to a new producer role with espnW and continues to build her own brand through partnerships with Wilson, Footlocker, and other brands that are committed to highlighting female athletes and creators. 

In this episode, Hannah shares:

• Where she got her love for sports, music, and art 
• How she learned to take creative risks in her work
• What role she’s playing in elevating women’s basketball 
• Why she’s committed to the grind behind the glamor
• How she hopes to show young girls what’s possible if they follow the passions

Follow Hannah’s journey on her Instagram profile.  

When Tony Dorado was growing up, his father - a first-generation immigrant from Mexico - loved all sports. This wasn’t lost on Tony or his older brothers, all of whom excelled on the court and the field. But Tony’s first sporting love was always basketball, so much so that he decided when he was in his early teens that he would one day become a coach. 

Today, most people know Tony as Nike's worldwide director of high school basketball. But long before he joined Phil Knight’s company, Tony was living out his dream while he juggled high school coaching and teaching history and religion. The biggest obstacle to success at the state level? A precocious, do-it-all point guard named Jason Kidd, who was so good that his school of 400 kids was allowed to play against (and beat) the biggest powerhouse programs. 

In this episode, Tony shares: 

• What tactics he used to try and slow down Jason Kidd
• How he came to coach with his best friend from college
• Why he relied on passion to power him through long days of teaching and coaching, and nights of grading papers
• How he transitioned to working at Nike
• What are the secrets of playing and coaching well at the high school level 

To learn more from Tony, follow him on Twitter.

When Tim DiFrancesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he got to see Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality firsthand. Before facing the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, Kobe was so tight that TD and the training staff could barely get him off the floor of the visitors’ locker room. Yet somehow he willed himself to push through his pain, get out in the layup line, and put up the kind of offensive games MSG fans had to come to expect from the five-time NBA champ. 

After TD shared this story on Twitter, British sports psychologist Peter Olusoga - a respected professor at Sheffield Hallam University - replied that while he respected Kobe’s mental toughness, there can be drawbacks to when athletes put everything on the line. 

In this episode, Peter shares: 

• How a misinterpretation of the Mamba Mentality could put players in a dark place
• Why a desire to show grit and resilience can go too far into overwork and burnout
• What happens when the demands placed on a coach or athlete outweigh their ability to cope
• Which techniques you can use to prevent burnout
• How to practice self-awareness and create a more healthy, well-rounded sense of identity

Continue learning from Peter and his guests on the Eighty Percent Mental podcast and follow him on Twitter. 

One of the roles TD played while the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach with the LA Lakers was to help guide players on nutrition practices. As TD has always said, "you can't out-train a bad diet". This is especially true in the off-season when players can find themselves spending 3-5 hours per day between on-court skill sessions, summer league games, weight room sessions, and supplemental conditioning. 

This episode is a mid-summer break from the guest episodes as Phil and Tim do some travel, but in under 25 minutes, TD shares his top 3 off-season nutrition tips. The off-season is where you are supposed to remodel, replenish, and reshape yourself as a player. If you do all that work on the courts and in the weight room all off-season, but fail to support it with nutrition, you could be setting yourself up for failure. 

In this episode, Tim Shares: 

• The importance of eating enough total calories to support 3-5 hours of challenging off-season basketball training each day.
• How many calories a young, developing basketball player typically burns per day.
• High-calorie, healthy, easy-to-grab food options to get your total calories up the right way. 
• Why protein intake is something you should track and how much protein you need to gain strength, mass, and promote proper recovery. 
• How many pounds of sweat you lose per hour of hooping AND how much sodium you lose per hour of hard work. 
• The secret to salting your food & sipping your water for better hydration.

Be sure to follow @tdathletesedge and @basketballstrongpodcast for more on how to become Basketball Strong. Send questions and inquiries to TD via email at tim@basketballstrongpodcast.com. Please rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts to help us to grow and spread the word. Simply sharing the link to the podcast with a teammate, coach, friend, or family member is one of the best ways to help us. Let's stay Basketball Strong! 

In the 1980s, it was the Boston Celtics who ruled the East, with a combination of front-line toughness and the unparalleled skill of Larry Bird. When Bill Walton joined the team and was finally able to put in a full injury-free season, Bird, McHale, and co made it to the top of the NBA mountain one last time. Dan Shaughnessy chronicled this era in his fascinating book Wish It Lasted Forever. 

Be sure to go back and listen to episode 36 for the full story from Dan about those elite Celtics teams, Larry Bird, and that era. This episode is a mini-pod, an unreleased excerpt from episode 36 where Dan delves into the intriguing nutrition and wellness ways of former NBA All-Star, Scott Wedman. Scott may have been looked at as weird back in the 80s, but many of the approaches Wedman took to nutrition and off-court wellness are now commonplace. 

In this episode, you'll hear: 

• What Larry Bird thought of Scott Wedman refusing to eat meat. 
• How other teammates including Robert Parish took nutrition seriously.
• Insights into the dynamics of a player having their own trainer or physical therapist outside of the team staff.

Relive the Celtics’ 80s glory days in Dan’s book Wish It Lasted Forever and check out his Twitter feed. 

Tyler Leclerc still vividly remembers the day he decided to drop out of college to pursue basketball training. He was listening to a business professor who hadn’t ever run a company and realized that he could learn everything he needed in the real world. So he walked away from school and went all-in. An internship with Drew Hanlen and hours of diligent study, while working at a golf course, helped Tyler develop his own unique methodology. At the same time, he continued training young players, as he had been since he was a junior in high school. 

At a pivotal point in his journey, Tyler decided to buy his own gym in Lowell, Massachusetts after new ownership of the facility he was using decided to raise his rates. He hung tough during the pandemic, driving to and from clients' houses when he had to close his new facility due to state regulations temporarily. Since then, TJL Training has come on strong, and Tyler teamed up with Coleman Ayers to create Mastery Hoops. 

In this episode, Tyler shares:

• How he overcame other people’s doubts after dropping out of college at the end of his freshman year
• Why he ‘burned the boats’ to force his training business to succeed
• How players can develop balance in unbalanced situations and learn to make better reads
• What he does to deliberately make athletes struggle so that they strengthen their skills
• Which decision-making filters he uses to grow his company and find new opportunities 

Train with Tyler in person or remotely through his website, follow him on Instagram, and learn more about Mastery Hoops on their Instagram feed. 

Sometimes coaches dream up the best basketball schemes in the most unlikely locations, like when Steve Kerr and Bruce Fraser plotted out the Golden State Warriors’ motion-driven system at an airport wine bar. In the case of Paul Westhead’s speed game - a devastating combo of continual fast break offense and pressing defense - it all came together when he coached Puerto Rico players during summers off from his main role at LaSalle University in the 70s. 

Westhead was later named head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers after his friend Jack McKinney fell off his bike and sustained a TBI. After making some inspired adjustments following Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Finals injury, Westhead guided the Lakers to the NBA title in six games against Dr. J’s Sixers, with Magic Johnson winning MVP in his rookie season. Westhead went on to perfect his “shoot in 5 seconds or less” approach - aka “The System”  at Loyola Marymount University, where the duo of Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble hung 122 points per game on their opponents. 

In this episode, Paul shares: 

• How his college coach Dr. Jack Ramsay helped him get into coaching
• Why he played Magic at center in the Finals 
• How Puerto Rico basketball and Old Dominion coach Sonny Allen shaped The System
• Why he’s always promised to blow his new team’s socks off
• What legacy Hank Gathers left and why he still remembers the free throw Bo Kimble took in his honor

Learn more about Paul’s basketball journey in his book Speed Game: My Fast Times in Basketball and follow him on Twitter. 

Kasey Jo Orvidas holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and is a certified health and fitness coach, with her expertise being in mindset and health behavior change. She has transformed hundreds of lives (and minds) in her coaching career, while also being published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals for her research exploring the relationship between our mindset and our health and fitness behaviors.

Kasey Jo places a strong emphasis on the importance of not just what we say to our clients, but how – and uses her unique background to efficiently and effectively communicate with clients to help them create sustainable lifestyle changes. She teaches other coaches how to do this too, via the Health Mindset Coaching Certification and other mentorship opportunities. Kasey Jo is also a writer and member of the scientific review board for Legion Athletics, where she shares her knowledge and passion for all things fitness, nutrition, and psychology.

In this episode, you’ll hear Kasey Jo share:

·       How building a resilient mindset is just as important, if not more so, than developing physical skills on the court

·       Why performance psychology should be a bedrock for every basketball player

·       What to do if you have self-limiting beliefs that are holding you back from reaching your potential

·       A better and more effective way to set and chase big goals

·       Why you should seek out situations that challenge you rather than avoiding them

Learn more about Kasey Jo’s work by following her on Instagram.

In basketball as in life it pays to be both lucky and good. When he was studying for an exercise science degree at ASU, one of Keith D’Amelio’s professors assigned him an interview with an expert in human performance. Keith selected a member of the Phoenix Suns performance staff, who agreed to give him an internship the next school year if he could gain some basketball experience in the meantime. So Keith talked his way into working the summer league for the Boston Celtics. When he reconnected with the Suns in the fall, the internship was gone, but his hard work led to Boston offering him a position when he graduated. 

After five seasons with the Celtics, Keith was offered an assistant athletic trainer position with the Toronto Raptors. When the head S&C coach left, he recommended that Keith take his place and so at age 26, Keith became the youngest head strength coach in the league. Quickly learning the ropes, he helped the Raptors roster be one of the most durable in the NBA and combined a person first-and evidence-based approach that he later applied with Stanford men’s basketball. For the past decade, Keith has served as Director of Performance at Nike. 

In this episode, Keith shares: 

• What it was like in the Raptors locker room after Kobe dropped 81 points
• Why sports tech will never replace human expertise and connection
• How defining his coaching philosophy helped bring order to the chaos of his NBA roles
• What role connection and communication play in earning athletes’ trust and buy in
• Which elements of youth sport he’d like to see change to re-emphasize fun and learning 

Keep up with Keith on his Instagram feed @keith.damelio

When NBA players want to extend their careers, they come to Dan Garner. He also works with athletes in professional hockey, MMA, and football, using a comprehensive testing system to gain a full, 360-degree physiological footprint for each individual. Once the lab results are in, Dan and his business partner, Cal State Fullerton muscle physiologist Dr. Andy Galpin, create a full nutrition, training, and lifestyle blueprint. 

Dan also shares the insights gleaned from working with the pros with competitive and amateur athletes in all walks of life. While nutrition is the focal point of his system, it incorporates sleep, recovery, hydration, hormone balance, stress, and every other facet of recovery and performance. Dan also created the popular Ultimate Nutrition Mentorship, Ultimate Training Mentorship, and Cutting Edge Strategies for Physique Transformation certificate programs where personal trainers and fitness professionals undergo an online education process to turn their passion for the industry into a successful and thriving career.

In this episode, Dan shares: 

• Why you have to recover like an animal to be a beast on the court 
• How consistency beats intensity every time 
• What role psychology plays in leading physiology 
• Why identifying and removing constraints is key to busting through performance plateaus
• Which visible and hidden stressors might be holding you back

Learn more about Dan on his website, coachgarner.com, and via his Instagram feed.

When someone has been an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach in the NBA, D-League (now the G League) and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), you might assume they’ve worked in basketball forever. But in Zeshaun Mirza’s case, his professional journey began by jumping out of a plane. Signing up for the US Army out of high school, Zeshaun took an extra $300 a month to become a paratrooper attached to an artillery unit. Transport aircraft would drop two-ton howitzer guns and he'd parachute out to work on the trucks that pulled them.

After serving his country, Zeshaun decided to pursue his dream of going to college to become an athletic trainer. Meeting Bakersfield Jam head coach Will Voight while working a tryout, Zeshaun got his break when the team needed to replace head athletic trainer and Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco, who was headed to work with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the LA Lakers. After a baptism of fire, he stayed with the team for 4 years, before being offered the chance of a lifetime to join the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China as head strength and conditioning coach. Several seasons later, Zeshaun returned to the US, where he trained NBA All-Star Devin Booker for two summers, served the New Orleans Pelicans as an athletic trainer, and worked with James Johnson. During this time, he realized that basketball players needed portable training, mobility, and warmup tools in a convenient, travel-friendly package, and created the Z Kit.  

In this episode, Zeshaun shares:

·       How his military service taught him attention to detail, courage under pressure, and situational awareness

·       Why these qualities served him well when he started working in professional basketball

·       How working as a strength and conditioning coach, athletic trainer, and in other performance roles made him more versatile

·       What he learned about the art of coaching while learning Mandarin and embedding in Chinese culture

·       Why thinking ahead, not taking things personally, and confidence are keys to success in basketball and life

Stay tuned to Zeshaun’s Instagram feed @zeshaun.mirza and up your game with the Z Kit at https://thezkit.com/ or on Instagram via @thezkit 

As a player, Joe Mantegna says he was the college basketball equivalent of Rudy. But even before his playing days at Ithaca College were over, the coaching seeds sown by his father, who’s in the Massachusetts Basketball Hall of Fame, had begun to germinate, and he soon found himself on the sidelines at Boston University and Lehigh University. But when he came to a fork in the road, he decided that he wanted to have the same kind of impact on teenagers’ lives as his dad had, and so took the head coaching job at Blair Academy. 

It’s rare for a rookie high school coach to win immediately, and more unusual still to be blessed with pro-level talent, but Joe had both when future All-Star Luol Deng and longtime NBA vet Charlie Villanueva showed up in his first recruiting class. Since then, Mantegna has built Blair into a national powerhouse, winning four national titles and, more importantly, developing many more high quality young men. 

In this can’t miss episode, Joe gets raw about: 

• What moves him when he thinks about the players whose lives he has touched
• How rooming with future NBA coach Steve Clifford gave him a coaching masterclass 
• Why he teamed up with Royal Ivey and Luol Deng to coach the South Sudan national team
• What role the principles of grit,  gratitude,  joyfulness + selflessness play in Blair’s culture
• How mudita - finding joy in other people’s success - is his team’s equivalent of Doc Rivers’s Ubuntu

Keep learning from Joe on his Twitter feed and at his basketball camps. 

When Ben Bruno was struggling to recover from back surgery, he worried that he might never be pain free again. A doctor’s back pain boot camp not only put him on the fast track to a full recovery, but also demonstrated the power of lifting weights and showed the importance of a winning mindset. Determined to learn everything he could about training, Ben went into a self-described “meathead” phase and applied for an internship with legendary coaches Mike Boyle and Steve Bunker. 

Ben was surprised when his overdue application got accepted, and soon he was training everyone from high level athletes to general population adults and kids’ sports teams. After several years of learning the ropes, Ben struck out on his own and moved to LA. There he began training NBA and college basketball players, and developed a principles-driven coaching approach that applied just as effectively with entertainment A-listers and anyone wanting to become stronger and more resilient. 

In this episode, Ben shares: 

• How a doctor’s back pain boot camp changed his life and career path
• What his first coaching gig with Mike Boyle and Steve Bunker taught him about the value of people skills
• Which filters he uses to focus NBA players’ offseason training when he only has a few weeks with them
• Why creating a list of values or principles should be a must for every coach
• Which 3 questions he asks every client, and why actively listening to the answers is so important 
• His stance on using olympic lifts with tall athletes or NBA players
• Programming for tall athletes 
• Developing your training philosophy 

Find out more about Ben’s training services on his website and via his Instagram feed. 

When Anthony Goods grew up, there were no dedicated basketball skills coaches, so he mastered the moves of NBA players like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Baron Davis by recording them on VHS tapes and then practicing while watching himself in the sliding glass door of his house. He combined this diligence with a fierce competitiveness, getting so mad when his dad beat him 1-on-1 that he refused to ride in his car and walked miles home alone instead. 

Such traits served him well when he began getting the attention of college coaches as a sophomore at Corona Centennial High and became one of the best guards in the Inland Empire along with Darren Collinson and Andre McGee. Anthony committed early to Stanford, where he played for Trent Johnson and Johnny Dawkins. Anthony then played in the D-League and for clubs in Italy, France, and Israel, before co-founding basketball media company Swish Cultures. 

In this episode, Anthony shares: 

• How 5 v 5 pickup games and playing 1-on-1 with his high school teammate, dad, and Blake Griffin improved his decision making
• Why Lou Williams was the best high school player he ever shared the court with
• How Coach Johnson made him into a man and Coach Dawkin turned him into a professional
• What grueling summer workouts with Crazy Frank  taught him about mental and physical toughness 
• How learning to bet on himself got him into the top 10 in D-League scoring and led to the creation of Swish Cultures

Follow Swish Cultures on Instagram, keep up with Anthony on his own channel, and listen to him on his podcast, Vet Moves. 

If a high school, NBA, AAU, or college basketball program wants to make their players faster, stronger, and more resilient, Lee Taft is likely the first person they call. Over the course of his career, Lee has built up a reputation as one of the go-to coaches in basketball, born from his love of the game and his own college hoops days. 

But as you’ll discover in this episode, Lee isn’t just “the speed guy,” but rather one of the deepest thinkers and more caring coaches in the game. One of his strongest attributes is distilling evidence-based insights into simple programs that help athletes of all ages to improve on and off the court. As Indiana Pacers strength and conditioning coach Shawn Windle said, “If your sport requires you to move fast in all directions, then Coach Taft is the one you want to coach you.”

In this episode, you’ll hear Lee talk about:

• How sibling rivalry elevated his own basketball game
• What made him focus on speed and quickness development 
• Which drills can help any basketball coach better prepare their players 
• Why deceleration and change of direction must be trained 
• How to minimize the risk of ACL tears and other injuries in just a couple of minutes 

Learn more about Lee’s work on his website and via his Instagram feed.

In our first interview with Larry Nance Jr., he shared how his tryout got him drafted by the Lakers, what Byron Scott taught him about how to get more playing time, and why Damian Lillard is such a strong leader. Since then, Larry and teammate CJ McCollum got traded from the Blazers to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Though Zion Williamson was out injured, Larry, CJ, and Brandon Ingram took a team that had started 1-13 on a strong push in the final weeks of the season and earned them a spot in the NBA Play-In. They beat the Spurs and the Clippers to tee up a first round series against Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and the Phoenix Suns. Exceeding expectations, the Pelicans pushed the Suns to six games, who needed a perfect game from Paul to advance. Larry took time out of Pelicans training camp to come back on the Basketball Strong Podcast, and he shared:

·       How guarding Zion Williamson reminds him of battling Julius Randle as a rookie

·       What he told Zion about treating his body like a Lamborghini

·       Which playoff moment showed him Willie Green’s coaching excellence

·       How young players can make an NBA roster and the habits veterans need to stay in the league

·       What it’s really like inside an NBA training camp

Follow Larry’s season with the Pelicans on Instagram at @larrydn7 And learn more about his and Noah Weber’s foundation, Athletes vs. Crohn’s & Colitis, on their feed @athletesvscrohns

Dr. J once said, “The key to success is to keep growing in all areas of life – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well as physical.” Yet so often, we focus most of our time and effort on that last one. In working with everyone from college teams like Michigan State and Arizona State to NBA All-Stars and Olympians, sports psychologist Dr. Jim Afremow has developed the 6 Cs of mental toughness.

In this first of two parts, he shares that being mentally resilient isn’t something we’re born with, but is a skill that can be developed just like a fadeaway jumper or step-back dribble. Jim also revealed that old-school notions of coaches making players run until they puke or denying water breaks have nothing to do with real toughness – it’s more about staying positive and proactive in the most adverse situations. Listen in to learn from Jim:

·       What you can do to build your confidence up to Michael Jordan’s level

·       How to remain composed when the game is on the line

·       Why self-talk is so important and how to develop it

·       Which techniques the best players use to keep their concentration

·       When it’s time to flip the switch before a game

Learn more from Jim by following him on Twitter @goldmedalmind and by reading his latest book, The Leader’s Mind.

We ended part 1 of our conversation with sports psychologist Dr. Jim Afremow with him quoting Bill Russell as saying, “Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.” Now Jim’s back to share how you can develop this key attribute and other mindset skills. The good news is it only takes a few minutes a day, and that with practice, everyone can build a true champion’s mind. This is what Jim has seen since his earliest days as a sports psychologist, when he saw the rise of Tom Izzo and Nick Saban at Michigan State.

Connection is another “C” of mental toughness that Jim has found is essential to bringing athletes and coaches together as a unit. He then explores how serving others and selflessness are traits common to most great leaders. In contrast, Jim reveals the wedges that can drive people and locker rooms apart and undermine a team’s culture, which is another core pillar of team-level mental resilience.   

Hear Jim share:

·       Why purpose and consistency are the keys to becoming totally committed  

·       How Steve Kerr’s core values fueled the Warriors’ title runs

·       What he learned about teamwork at the San Francisco Giants

·       Why you should create a goal card and look at it daily

·       Which exercises coaches and players can use to get to know each other better

Get more insights on the mental game from Jim in his classic book The Champions Mind and on Twitter @goldmedalmind.

JJ Outlaw’s father, John,  followed an unconventional path in pro sports, playing in the NFL before coaching in the NBA. Two decades later, his son followed in John’s footsteps. JJ was equally adept as a baller and a football player, but decided to focus on the latter when he went to Villanova. During his four-year career with the Wildcats, JJ was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 selection and ranked fifth in school history in receptions and ninth in receiving yards. As a senior in 2005, he led the Atlantic 10 in receptions per game, ranked third in all-purpose yards, and was sixth in the league in receiving yards per game.

JJ’s stellar college career earned him a roster spot with the Philadelphia Eagles. When his football career ended, he became Director of Basketball Operations for Marist University, where he spent two seasons before being recruited by LA Lakers head coach Mike Brown as the team’s video coordinator. JJ soon worked his way into the role of Player Development Coach with the Lakers, and went on to serve as assistant coach of the Memphis Grizzlies for two years (which included a brief stint as head coach). In August 2019, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired JJ to be their assistant coach. 

In this episode, JJ shares: 

• How only one other person understands his unconventional career path: his father
  Why being around NBA players and coaches inspired him to shoot for the stars
• What was the hardest thing about going from a pro football player to an entry-level college basketball role
• Who mentored him on his NBA coaching journey
• Why he feels blessed every single day

Keep up with JJ via his Instagram feed.

Sometimes the only way to begin a new chapter in life is to painfully end the previous one. So it was for Andy Barr, whose pro soccer career with Luton Town in England was cut short by injury. With help from the player’s union, he pursued a degree in physiotherapy and right out of college, found himself back in top-level football with Bolton Wanderers FC, where he was part of a forward-thinking sports medicine team.

Andy helped reduce injury rates at Bolton, Southampton, and Manchester City by 40 to 60%, while also pioneering the use of heart rate monitoring and other technology. He then seized the chance to work in the NBA and enabled the New York Knicks to make similar advances. Founding Quantum Performance allowed him and his colleagues to scale elite-level training to not only pro basketball, soccer, and football players, but also weekend warriors. Andy helped Kevin Durant return to play, is consulting with the Brooklyn Nets, and recently launched the Q-Bands prehab/training/rehab system.

In this episode, Andy shares:

• Why the best kind of ability for any athlete is availability
• What role communication and collaboration played in helping Kevin Durant return from an Achilles tear
• How Mike D’Antoni was ahead of his time with load management
• Why sports science always needs to be all about the players and the game
• How risk taking and wanting to increase his impact took him from Manchester City to Manhattan and led to creating the Q-Bands training and rehab system

Keep up with Andy on Instagram @andybarrpt, learn more about Quantum Performance at quantumperformance.co and check out Q-Bands at https://www.qbands.co/products/quantum-performance-bands

Few basketball players can claim to have played on the same high school team as an NBA All-Star, but that’s the experience this week’s guest, Trey Johnson, had when hooping with Mo Williams. A gifted scorer in his own right, Trey took his talents to Northeast Mississippi Community College, where he averaged 19 ppg before transferring to Alcorn State. Here he shot 41.5% from behind the arc for a year, and then transferred to his father’s alma mater, Jackson State. Trey finished 10th in the nation in scoring during his junior season with 23.5 points per game, and upped this to 27.1 ppg, earning conference tournament MVP honors and being named SWAC Player of the Year.

Pro scouts soon came calling and Trey spent three NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, and New Orleans Hornets. He was also a member of the 2011 Lakers’ playoff team. Trey also made his mark in the D-League, earning All-Star honors twice (2008-09 and 2010-11). He was named to the All-D-League Second in 2008-09 and First Team honors in 2010-11 after leading the league in scoring at 25.5 points per game – while also scoring a league-high 48 points in a single game. After finishing his pro career overseas, Trey went into coaching. 

In this episode, you’ll learn from Trey:

• What it meant to follow in his father’s footsteps at HBCU Jackson State
• How he learned to be a pro from playing with Mo Williams
• Who he leaned on as he went back and forth between the NBA, D-League, and playing overseas
• How his faith informs his principle-driven coaching style
• What he does to reach young players and help them grow on and off the court

Keep up with Trey on his Twitter feed. 

Chris Winter’s path to becoming a world-renowned sleep doctor began when he was a child. When the power went out in a blizzard and he and his family were huddled up in sleeping bags around their stove, he wondered, “Does everyone like to sleep as much as me?” Fast forward 20 or so years and Chris was studying at the University of Virginia, wondering what branch of medicine to specialize in. A biology credit advisor suggested that he help out a sleep specialist, Paul Serratt. One day, Chris said, “It’d be cool to study how sleep affects athletes.” His mentor replied, “Chris, this is the best thing about it – anything you can think about with sleep research hasn’t been done yet.” Just like that, Chris decided what he wanted to do with his career. 

During his first year of practice,Chris heard that the Montreal Expos were playing half their games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and realized this would be the perfect opportunity to study how jet lag and circadian rhythm disruption impacts sports performance. This kicked off what would become one of the largest sleep studies of pro athletes, with Chris compiling data from more than 22,000 MLB games over nine years. The San Francisco Giants saw a news report quoting Chris when he presented his research and hired him as a consultant, and soon afterward the Oklahoma City Thunder did likewise. He has since worked with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards, as well as the Washington Mystics in the WNBA.

In this episode, Chris shares:

• What you can do to sleep longer and better without medication
• How sleep improves physical performance and emotional wellbeing
• Why sleep is a secret weapon that helps NBA veterans stay in the league and young players make the cut
• How travel gives one team a circadian advantage and what that means for when you cross time zones
• What coaches, physical therapists, and other practitioners can do to improve their athletes’ sleep

Learn more from Chris by reading his books The Sleep Solution and The Rested Child, and by following him on Twitter @drchriswinter

During his six seasons with the Lakers, Tim DiFrancesco (TD) saw first-hand how Kobe Bryant pushed through pain and injury to give his all to the game he loved. In one memorable moment, Mamba cemented his Madison Square Garden legacy by overcoming severe low-back tightness to somehow take the hallowed floor and put on another classic performance against the New York Knicks. 

In this episode, TD shares: 

• What Kobe did before each game to get his aging body game ready
• Why he was on the floor of the visitors’ locker room in agony
• Which exercises TD and the Lakers staff did with Kobe to bring relief
• How the Mamba Mentality enabled Kobe to tough it out when most people would quit
• Why Kobe was determined to honor the MSG fans and give every game his all

For a deeper insider’s view of Kobe’s greatness, check out our previous conversation with longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti and TD’s 8 Things that Coaching Kobe Bryant Taught Me episode.

Coach Brendan Suhr is viewed as one of the most respected figures in basketball with nearly 30 years as a coach and executive in the NBA and 13 seasons as a coach at the collegiate level. He has been a part of some of the most historical basketball teams of all time while winning back-to-back NBA Championships with the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys”, as well as the 1992 “Dream Team” who won the gold medal for the United States at the Barcelona Olympic Games. He developed his “Servant Leadership” mentality while working as an Assistant Coach under Hall of Fame coaches Chuck Daly, Hubie Brown and Lenny Wilkins.

During his coaching career he has coached some of the world’s best players such as Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and Karl Malone. Coach Suhr has a passion for developing effective leaders. His extensive background in the corporate world spans over 30 years as a leadership consultant who specializes in coaching, leadership, team building and culture.

In this episode, you’ll hear Coach Suhr share:

·       What Michael Jordan did to lead by example on the 1992 Dream Team

·       How Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumar, and Bill Laimbeer’s unique personalities blended to propel the Bad Boys to two NBA titles

·       Which lessons that he learned from Hubie Brown still stick with him

·       How the tireless work ethic and basketball IQ of Dennis Rodman powered the Pistons

·       Why the Dream Team wasn’t the greatest squad he’s ever coached

Learn more about Coach Suhr’s work by following him on Twitter.

Todd Wright’s journey to the NBA improbably with living in a closet alongside the costume for the Boston College eagle mascot. This might seem improbable, but it was an indication of the many sacrifices he would make along the path to becoming one of the most respected strength and conditioning coaches in basketball. The fact that he ended up in the sport at all is fortuitous, as he started out playing college football and then leading linemen, receivers, and the rest through their lifts. The opportunity to switch to from the field to the court came courtesy of Rick Barnes.

Having earned his stripes at George Mason University and Providence College, Barnes took over the basketball program at Clemson. Seeing the fine work Todd was doing, he offered him the chance to learn the ropes with his team while furthering his education. Todd jumped at the chance and helped Barnes turn around the Tigers, before going with him to the University of Texas. There, the Longhorns made it to the NCAA 16 out of 17 seasons. Todd then had the chance to transition to the NBA, where he took a unique dual role of assistant coach and head of strength and conditioning. After four years with the 76ers, Todd became the vice president of player performance and assistant coach for the LA Clippers.

In this episode, Todd reveals:

·       What he learned from Rick Barnes during a two-decade partnership and Brett Brown with the 76ers

·       How his dual role in the weight room and on the bench came about

·       Why coaches should invest in continuing education

·       What he includes in his basketball-specific movement system

·       How NBA performance and player care have evolved

Keep up with Todd’s push to the playoffs with the Clippers on Instagram @toddwright_coach

Lance Hurdle learned to love basketball from his grandfather, who put a basketball in his small hands when he was five. 15 years later and with Lance now starring for the University of Miami, it was the same man who’s imminent passing inspired Lance to record his career high against the UNC Tar Heels. In between, Lance moved from New Jersey to San Diego, where he started playing against his step father’s Army buddies as a teenager. In his senior year of high school, he upped his scoring average from 13 to 24 points to lead his squad to a division championship. 

Lance’s star was on the rise, but at UC Santa Barbara, he struggled to find his best game and place in the rotation. He transferred to San Bernardino Valley College and came on strong in the second half of the season, winning conference player of the year as histeam claimed the conference title. With several offers from top D1 programs, Lance chose to attend the University of Miami, and got his first taste of the NCAA tournament. He then played for the Bakersfield Jam, Idaho Stampede, and Springfield Armor in the NBA D-League, before taking his talents to play pro in Australia. Lance then co-founded Excel Basketball Academy and is the Cape Henry Collegiate School's Varsity Assistant Basketball Coach, 8th Grade Head Basketball Coach and Director of Student Life.

In this episode, Lance shares how he:

• Learned tough lessons about hard work, sacrifice, and attitude from 3 coaches
• Overcame adversity in his freshman year and bounced back to earn a scholarship to University of Miami
• Leaned on his faith when times got tough
• Received essential advice from Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
• Discovered the true meaning of gratitude when coaching Aboriginal kids in Australia
• Decided to share all he has learned from the game with students at Excel Basketball Academy and Cape Henry Collegiate School

Keep up with Lance on Instagram and via the Excel Basketball Academy website.

Imagine seeing talented but raw basketball players like Andrew Wiggins, Lou Dort, Tyler Ennis, and Jamal Murray when they were 15 years old and being tasked with molding them into future NBA and Olympic pros. Dr. Marc Bubbs has lived this life for the past decade, as the sports nutritionist on a holistic, person-first Canada Basketball team of dedicated coaches, talented players, and committed sports scientists. 

Marc encapsulated his experiences working with this organization and professional teams in many other sports in the excellent book Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports. In it, he covers everything from epigenetics to gut health to immunity, and much more. 

Fire up this episode and you’ll hear Marc’s take on:

• Why nutrition is so foundational to basketball performance
• How improving overall health quickstarts athletic development
• What role sleep plays for anyone wanting to be at their best
• Why community is an underrated aspect of peak achievement
• Which obstacles he has to help athletes overcome to reach their potential

To continue learning from Marc, grab a copy of his book Peak and follow him on Instagram.

The first thing almost every interviewer asks Alan Stein Jr. about is coaching Kevin Durant. But what they gloss over is that it took two years of calls and faxes (remember those?) for Durant’s prep school, Montrose Academy, to bring him in as a strength and conditioning consultant, that this role was initially unpaid, and that he covered his own travel expenses. There’s also rarely a mention of all the unseen hours that Alan spent training general population clients and building up his basketball coaching business with DC-area high school players. 

Alan applied the same level of diligence and persistence once he got the role at Montrose, and as he began to work at Nike elite camps. This experience gave him the confidence to start impacting teams and coaches, and eventually led to his transition into high performance coaching for companies and executives, which he balances with keynote speaking and authoring the best-selling books Raise Your Game and Sustain Your Game. 

In this episode, Alan shares: 

• How working with general population clients crossed over to coaching basketball players like Kevin Durant
• Why the best measures of a player’s progress are how they perform on the court and how much fun they’re having
• What role a mentor played in developing his coaching craft
• Why investing in becoming the best version of yourself is the most valuable thing you can do 
• How relationship building and showing how much you care are the keys to impactful coaching

Learn more about Alan’s principles-driven coaching in his new book Sustain Your Game and follow him on Instagram.

Imagine being born with a gift for music, playing piano, drums, and bass so well that you were recruited by Julliard and other top music schools, but then giving it up because it was too easy and you really loved basketball. That was the path chosen by Alex McLean, who didn’t play organized ball until he was 18 and then had to learn the game at two junior colleges. His dedication eventually earned a college scholarship to Liberty University, where Alex became a prolific scorer and rebounded.

But though he got good enough to star in several pro leagues overseas, Alex took another diversion when he gave up playing to start his coaching career. An unexpected call from the Washington Wizards led to him overseeing G-League assignments, and he worked his way up to lead the team’s player development. Alex has also become a go-to coach in women’s basketball, working with the likes of Kiki Rice and Paige Bueckers, and recently started a school with his business partner to give back to the DC community.

Listen up as Alex shares:

·       Why he turned down a lucrative pro deal in China to become a GA for $800 a month at Liberty U

·       How being the first player in the gym for a year can help you win a roster spot

·       What Paige Bueckers finishing a training session with one shoe showed about her

·       How John Wall’s Achilles injury and a commitment to serving helped establish his NBA career

·       Why doing the unseen work today prepares you for tomorrow’s opportunity

Learn from Alex’s lead-by-example mentality on Instagram @alexmcleanbball

“On a football field, I didn’t pass the eye test,” said Mike Guevara (aka Mike G). Despite describing himself as short and slow and facing prejudice from being one of few on the football field with both Asian and Mexican descent, Mike battled his way to a college football scholarship and starred as a wide receiver. His work ethic, self-discipline, and quest for continual improvement has even earlier roots in his upbringing as the son of a 20-year US Army veteran.

When his football career ended, Mike translated his passion for training himself into coaching others. Earning an internship at The Training Factory, he put in long hours, did everything his colleagues didn’t want to do, and sought mentorship from veteran coaches. Within a few years, he’d worked his way up to being performance director and helped prepare Victoria Azarenka to win two Australian Open titles and Olympic tennis gold. When another coach left, he took over the training of eventual NBA champion Jrue Holiday, which led to also coaching his brothers, Anthony Davis, and many other pros. As well as coaching athletes independently, Mike and his wife launched the GBG (Greatness Breeds Greatness) app, which offers NBA-level coaching to players of all ages and abilities.

Listen up as Mike shares:

·       Which 5 qualities create success in coaching and life

·       Why passion, hard work, and persistence lead to winning

·       How finding joy in coaching everyone prepared him to excel with elite athletes  

·       Why “figure it out” is one of his guiding principles

·       What role being prepared and committing to daily excellence play in his continued growth

Keep up with Mike G on Instagram @mrdoitmoving and check out the GBG app at https://gbghoops.com/ and on the GBG Instagram feed @gbg.hoops.

In his 22 years covering the Los Angeles Lakers as a sideline reporter and play-by-play announcer riffing off color commentator Mychal Thompson, John Ireland has seen the team win five NBA titles, pull off a rare threepeat, and make it to the Finals eight times. He has witnessed a lifetime of highlights from the likes of Shaq, LeBron, Paul Gasol, and other All-Stars, but it’s the legacy of Kobe Bryant that has left an indelible mark.

John started covering the Lakers in Kobe’s rookie year, and saw him grow from an unnaturally confident teenager into a perennial All-Star, two-time Finals MVP, and five-time champion. As a broadcaster, John called all of Kobe’s biggest victories and most painful losses, but it was the moments when nobody else was watching that revealed his true character. From brief courtside encounters at Staples Center to hotel conversations on the road to after-hours practice sessions in empty arenas, John had unique insights into a singular talent who will never be forgotten.

In this memorable episode marking Kobe’s tragic passing, John shares:

·       What Kobe working out with an assistant coach’s son at 4 AM showed

·       How his comment about Kobe not playing with a sprained ankle led to a 39-point outburst

·       Why Kobe once had 18 full beer bottles by his feet in a Houston bar

·       What parenting advice he gave Kobe after his daughter Natalia was born

·       Which Michael Jordan move Kobe perfected even though he knew it was traveling

·       Why Kobe’s 60-point farewell is the one game he’d go back and re-live

Listen to John as he calls Lakers games and hosts the Mason & Ireland show for ESPN LA, and follow him on Twitter @LAIreland.

In practice, Sean Light could often make every free throw. So why was it that in college basketball games he felt frozen at the line, while his brother could pitch 102 miles an hour at Fenway Park with no problem? It was questions like this that Sean sought to answer as he served as a strength coach with the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.

As he observed minor leaguers over the long, 162-game season, there were a lot of counterintuitive patterns, like nonchalant players making it to the majors while hard workers struggled. It wasn’t until Sean joined Basketball Strong co-host Tim DiFrancesco at the Lakers that he started making connections between the brain, nervous system, and performance. He has since built such insights into evidence-based systems of excellence through Weight Room Wealth.

In this episode, Sean shares:

·       How he helped NBA players like Brandon Ingram unlock their full performance potential

·       What you can do to stay calm on the court and in life

·       Why managing threat perception is key to being your best

·       How to harness neuroscience to groove new habits

·       Which 3 steps will help you make focus your default state

·       The funniest Randy “Big Unit” Johnson story you’ve never heard

Learn more about Sean’s unique approach to the neuroscience of business and sports performance at www.weightroomwealth.com and on his Twitter feed @SLight20.

Anyone who loves basketball in the Pittsburgh area knows T.J. McConnell’s family name. Whether it’s his father Tim, who racked up 662 wins at Chartiers Valley, his aunt Suzie who played in two Olympics and was WNBA Coach of the Year, or another aunt and uncle who’ve coached at the college level, the McConnells are legendary in Pennsylvania hoops. So it’s no surprise that T.J.’s ended up on the court at a young age.

But as a 5-foot-5 freshman, there didn’t seem to be a path to a major college, let alone the NBA. However, T.J.’s tenaciousness earned him a scholarship from Duquesne and growing to 6-foot-1 helped him average 34 points a game as a senior. After two solid college seasons, T.J. made the difficult decision to transfer from Duquesne and play for Sean Miller at Arizona. He redshirted and then helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight in his junior and senior years. Though he went undrafted, T.J. got an invite to the Sixers’ summer league team and his relentless work ethic earned him a roster spot. He has since set an NBA record with nine steals in a game and now plays point guard for the Indiana Pacers.  

Listen up as T.J. dishes on:

·       What his dad taught him about basketball, hard work, and life

·       Why he transferred to the University of Arizona and how it forced him to level up

·       How he had to scratch, claw, and give 110% to make the cut with the Philadelphia 76ers

·       Why he still tells himself that that the moment he relaxes is the moment he’s done in the NBA

·       Where his commitment to be a pest on defense comes from and what he learned from JJ Redick

Follow T.J.’s push to the playoffs with the Pacers and his passion for wine and coffee on his Instagram feed @tjmcconnell.

Stan Van Gundy recently tweeted about how injuries and games missed are way up despite NBA load management and teams having bigger medical and performance staffs. Basketball Strong co-host and former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco (@tdathletesedge) replied that SVG is right, but 80s and 90s players didn’t grow up playing year-round AAU and spending off court time on their phones or with skills trainers, which affects durability. Veteran strength coach Mike Boyle responded: “Too many games too early. The mileage on these guys is way up by the time they get to the professional level. Plus more strength coaches doesn’t necessarily mean more players lifting.”

Over a 40-year career, Mike has coached everyone from high school to college to pro athletes, including the World Series-winning Boston Red Sox. So if anyone’s qualified to identify root issues in youth sports that bear bad fruit in the big leagues and then propose practical solutions, it’s him.  

In this episode, Mike reveals:

·       Why early youth sports specialization doesn’t work

·       What a more well-rounded and responsible approach to developing young athletes looks like

·       How 2 strength sessions per week/100 per year increase the durability of young athletes & NBA players alike

·       Why pro players are often like a broken bottle held together by the label & what teams and coaches can do about it

·       How going back to basics with jumping/landing, sprinting, lifting, and throwing creates a solid foundation for athletic development and reduces preventable injuries

Dive deeper into Mike’s expertise on strengthcoach.com and bodybyboyle.com, follow him at @mboyle1959 on Twitter and @michael_boyle1959 on Instagram, and listen to him and Anthony Renna on the Strength Coach Podcast.

Sometimes a classic sports story begins with someone believing in the underdog who goes on to become the hero. But in the case of Coach Rocky Lamar, it was a doubter who told him he should switch sports that put him on the path to basketball greatness. His determination to prove them wrong fueled three hours a day of practice, which earned him a spot on the varsity. Rocky’s Hall of Fame Coach Bill Fleming didn’t just teach him how to play point guard, but also the importance of defending, rebounding, and valuing the ball. These principles helped Rocky reach the college level, where he set records for assists and free throw percentage at MidAmerica Nazarene College (later university).

Fleming’s influence also inspired Rocky to coach high school basketball back in Iowa. When he returned to his alma mater, MNU’s only winning seasons had come when Rocky played, but he soon built them into a powerhouse. Though the team lost the 2001 title game, they won the national championship in 2007 and reached the NAIA Final Four five other times. By the time he retired in 2022, Rocky’s teams has won 13 conference titles, made it to the national tournament 19 times, and had 23 seasons with 20 or more wins. His 803 victories put him eight on the all-time active coaching list, alongside the likes of Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, and Mike Boeheim.

In this episode, Rocky reveals:

·       Why planning fundamentals-focused practices like John Wooden created consistent excellence

·       What nightly open gym runs in the summer did to fuel four straight Final Four appearances

·       Why relationship-building should be focused on helping players and expecting nothing in return

·       How staying with a single program enabled him to touch lives and develop a large coaching tree

·       Why every player should do what’s right, do more than their fair share, and be tough

Learn more from Rocky as he keeps mentoring players and coaches on Twitter @CoachRockyLamar.

Have you ever wondered why tall athletes can move so fluidly on the basketball court or in a rowing boat but sometimes struggle to squat or deadlift? As a well-muscled, tall sprinter and long jumper in high school, Lee Boyce quickly realized that he didn’t look or move like most of his fellow track and field athletes. He was curious about why height, weight, limb length, and other factors impacted athletic performance and how he could apply this to his own training. This thirst for knowledge led Lee to take exercise science classes, where he mastered \\\\\the basics of how the human body moves and realized he wanted to pass along what he discovered to others through coaching.

While he was studying kinesiology in college and competing in track, he started training at a gym and helping others put the lessons he was learning into action. 16 years later, Lee has trained hundreds of people, written over 1,200 articles for the likes of Men’s Health, Onnit, and Breaking Muscle, taught multiple college classes, and co-authored the book Strength Training for All Body Types with Melody Schoenfeld. His #tallguytuesday posts have become a go-to resource for basketball players and coaches at all levels.

In this episode, Lee shares:

·       Which squat and core training exercise variations basketball players and other tall athletes benefit from

·       What his severe knee injury taught him about training for durability

·       How an athlete’s height, weight, lever length, training age, and real age should guide their training program

·       What the top 3 motivations are for recreational athletes and how a coach can harness these

·       Why there should be principles but not rules in coaching

Learn more from Lee by reading his book Strength Training for All Body Types, visiting his website leeboyce.com, and checking out his daily posts on Twitter and Instagram @coachleeboyce.

Growing up in a broken home, Phil Beckner watched his mom walk to work at a gas station, and later clean houses after long shifts at a truck stop. So when it came to putting in the effort to earn good grades or a basketball roster spot at Kansas Wesleyan University, he had a higher standard to aim for.  When he graduated, Phil applied his gift for getting the best out of others to coaching, with roles at Weber State, the Oklahoma City Blue (the Thunder's D-League affiliate), and Nebraska.

After two years as associate head coach at Boise State, Phil made the difficult decision to walk away from the college basketball sidelines. Several NBA teams came calling, but he chose to focus on two clients – Damian Lillard and Tim Frazier – and build his own coaching business instead. Betting on himself eventually paid off, with the likes of Mikal Bridges, Anfernee Simons, CJ McCollum, and Cam Johnson relying on Phil to develop their skills, mindset, and character. He also consults with the Philadelphia 76ers and other elite teams, athletes, and organizations.

In this episode, Phil shares:

• How his mom’s work ethic, two teachers’ examples, and several mentors imprinted on him
• Where the philosophy behind “Be better, be different” came from and how everyone can harness the success formula that made Damian Lillard an All-Star player and person
• Why he equips players to be better humans as he’s developing them on the court
• What led him to leave college coaching and build a coaching business from scratch instead of taking an NBA job
• Why “We don’t want anything from you – we want everything FOR you” guides his coaching
• Why a deep level of significance is more impactful than a surface level of success

Learn more from Phil @PhilBeckner on Twitter and at develop2compete.com

When Cate Shanahan was in medical school, she was led to believe that “vegetable” oils were healthy and sugar was OK, while saturated fats and salt were the causes of heart disease and other illnesses. It wasn’t until later when Cate investigated why she kept getting sick that she realized everything she’d been taught wasn’t true. Seed oils and excess sugar were the real causes of her issue and rising rates of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, cognitive decline and other health problems.

While Cate was consulting with the Lakers, she taught players like Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, and Dwight Howard about the toxins lurking in their pantry and on supermarket shelves. She also revealed the benefits of grass-fed meat and dairy, collagen, and other nutrients that helped the world’s best basketball players up their game and improve their wellbeing.  

In this episode, Dr. Cate shares:

·       How seed oils contribute to heart and metabolic diseases once blamed on salt and saturated fats

·       Which Hateful 8 oils you should avoid and the healthy alternatives to seek out instead

·       Why Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace turned to bone broth to quickly heal injuries

·       How sugar & PUFAs cause inflammation and degrade connective tissue, muscle & joint health

·       Why she recommends grass-fed butter instead of omega 3 supplements

·       What health, performance & recovery benefits you’ll get from cutting out seed oils, limiting sugar & including more on-the-bone meat in your diet

Learn more about Dr. Cate’s work on her website, www.drcate.com, read her books Deep Nutrition, The Fatburn Fix, and Food Rules, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @drcateshanahan .

Chris Leazier refers to himself as a basketball nomad. He grew up glued to Indiana University games back when Bobby Knight was patrolling the sidelines and winning more championships than he threw chairs. Though a good player, Chris decided in high school that he’d have a greater impact with a whistle around his neck. One of his first stops was Thetford Academy, where he coached Basketball Strong co-host Tim DiFrancesco (TD). After spending seven years as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College, Chris was at the helm of Saint Anselm College’s women’s basketball for two years. 

Then Bakersfield Jam head coach Will Voigt came calling and Chris entered the D-League, soon reuniting with TD as well. After several other college and high school coaching jobs, Will called Chris again and they teamed up to lead the Nigerian men’s national team at the Rio Olympics. Soon after, Chris was back coaching high school basketball, and also served as the head of scouting and video for University of North Carolina women’s coach Courtney Banghart, who had been his fellow assistant coach at Dartmouth. In the past few years, Chris has applied all his coaching expertise at Hudl, where he currently serves as market lead for elite basketball & D1 colleges. 

In this episode, Chris riffs on:

• How he developed more compassion as a coach, while still maintaining a standard of excellence
• Why it’s important to enjoy and learn from every experience 
• What coaching and life lesson transferred from coaching in the Olympics, college, and high school basketball
• Which coach was the best servant leader he has ever seen
• What makes Courtney Banghart such a successful coach

Keep up with Chris on his Twitter feed. 

Bill Foran first got into strength training with a friend’s set of vinyl weights from Sears. After studying physical education at Central Michigan, his first coaching job helped the smallest high school compete in its conference. He went from a grad assistant job at Michigan State to head strength coach at Washington State in just one year, helping turn around a football program that hadn’t been to a bowl game in 50 years.

The U came calling and Bill moved to Miami, where he prepared the football team to reach a 55-5 record and win two national championships. After consulting with the Miami Heat during their first season, the team hired Bill as one of the league’s earliest strength coaches. The franchise became a legit contender when Pat Riley arrived in 1995, and won the 2006 title with Shaq, Dwyane Wade, and Alonzo Mourning. Bill also ran the weight room when the Big 3 of Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Both won two titles. After 29 seasons as the Heat’s head strength and conditioning coach, Bill passed the torch to his son, Eric. Bill is also the author of several books, including Strength Training for Basketball.

In this episode, Bill shares:

• How Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson helped him get and keep his job with the Heat
•  What Pat Riley wrote on the locker room whiteboard that inspired the Heat to come back from 2-0 down against the Mavericks and claim the 2006 title
• How Riley’s leadership created The Heat Way and which key values it’s based on
• What made Udonis Haslem and Keith Askins his favorite players to coach
• How a Shane Battier speech sparked a 27-game win streak and championship run
•  Why LeBron James has stayed so durable for so long
• Where he thinks the sweet spot is between NBA load management and continual hard work

After years of beatdowns by the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys, Michael Jordan finally won his first NBA title in 1992. Amidst the commotion in the Bulls’ locker room - champagne spraying, players and coaches yelling, media swarming - everyone wanted to get a defining image of MJ’s triumph, but the Finals MVP was nowhere to be seen. Lakers team photographer and co-creator of NBA Photos Andrew Bernstein was the one who snapped the definitive shot of Jordan crying with the trophy, his father James at his son’s side. 

Such photographic glory was no such thing when a 20-year-old Andrew left UMass at Amherst and headed west to study in the City of Angels. He soon got a gig assisting veteran photogs for Sports Illustrated, and then managed to talk his way into photographing the 1983 All-Star Game for the League on his own, long before photographers had assistants and technicians to help them. He proved his talent and tenacity in the Forum that weekend, and was soon the official lensman for the Lakers, documenting their wins and losses against Larry Bird’s Celtics, the Shaq-Kobe-Phil Jackson three-peat, and the two titles Kobe won with Pau Gasol.

In this episode, Andrew shares:

• How he talked his way into the 1983 All-Star Game assignment 
• What role confidence and New Jersey moxie played as he built an unsurpassed portfolio and started NBA Photos in a filing cabinet in his small apartment 
• What he did to make Magic Johnson reprimand him on a Converse commercial set
• How he got into Pat Riley’s huddle to shoot the Showtime Lakers during timeouts
• Why a shot of Michael Jordan and another of Kobe are his favorites among thousands of photos

Learn more about Andrew’s fantastic photography on his Instagram feed and listen to his insightful interviews as host of the Legends of Sport podcast.

Mike Robertson’s first exposure to basketball conditioning was his high school coach forcing him to run cross country. Though he eventually broke his three-mile PR, logging miles during an Indiana winter actually set him back when he returned to the court. It was solving problems like this that led Mike to take a master’s in sports biomechanics at Ball State, where he studied under pioneers William Kraemer and Robert Newton. Mike also honed his skills working with Ball State athletes, and then with rehab and in-home training clients.

When he moved to Indianapolis, Mike was already offering online training programs and writing for the likes of T Nation and EliteFTS. He then partnered with physical therapist Bill Hartman to open IFAST, which Men’s Health named one of the top 10 gyms in America. Mike has worked with NBA and college basketball players, served as an S+C coach in pro soccer, and prepared athletes at all levels to excel.

In this episode, Mike dishes on:

• How creating a win-win for athletes, coaches, and players creates buy-in for long-term player development
• Why you need to work on athletes’ brakes as well as their engines when increasing vertical jump and power
• Why basketball players and tall athletes are susceptible to ankle, knee, and back injuries and how he makes them more durable
• What he did to prepare Roy Hibbert in the offseason
• How to find the sweet spot between isolated and compound movements to build resilience
• What he does differently to his high school coach for basketball conditioning

Learn more from Mike at www.robertsontrainingsystems.com, listen to his show The Physical Preparation Podcast, and follow him on Instagram @robtrainsystems

Tom Brennan went from a small town in New Jersey to playing basketball at the University of Georgia, where he played for Dean Smith’s former assistant Ken Rosemond and won a senior leadership award. While he was at UGA, he had the difficult task of trying to slow down the college basketball phenom in the country, Pistol Pete Maravich. A UGA grad assistant role helped him learn the coaching ropes and he then assisted Bill Raftery at Seton Hall, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and Bruce Parkhill at William & Mary. Tom coached basketball and baseball at Fairleigh Dickinson before being named head coach at Yale University, where he guided players like Chris Dudley and Butch Graves.   

Tom then took the head coaching job at the University of Vermont. The Catamounts had never been to the NCAA Tournament, but Tom turned them into a perennial power in the America East Conference. He became a fan favorite, co-hosting the Corm and the Coach radio show and becoming “a citizen of the community” in Burlington. Tom led the Catamounts to three straight conference titles and NCAA Tournament runs, culminating in an upset of top-ranked Syracuse. After 19 seasons, Tom moved onto broadcasting for ESPN and CBS, and Vermont named its basketball court in his honor.

In this episode, Tom shares:

• What it was like guarding Pistol Pete Maravich
• How he got addicted to the rush of coaching basketball
• What he learned working for legendary coaches Bill Raftery, Bruce Parkhill & Rollie Massimino  
• Why he left Yale and the Ivy League to coach at Vermont, and what kept him there for 19 years
• How strong relationships & trusting 4-year point guards led to championships
•  What advice Jerry Tarkanian (Tark) gave him before the Syracuse game
• How T.J. Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenrath helped take down Syracuse’s roster of future NBA players
• Why he was never afraid of his team losing
• How he knew Jay Wright was going to become a brilliant coach

Caleb Burgess’s basketball journey as a player includes a nail biting finish to the NAIA national championship game, a horrendous elbow injury that saw a bone shoved into his triceps, and lots more ups and downs. Deciding to stay on at Azusa Pacific after completing his own playing career to pursue a master’s and PhD in physical therapy, Caleb then completed a Residency in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and then a Fellowship in Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy through Kaiser Permanente Southern California.

These experiences helped him become an expert in musculoskeletal issues, which he combined with his expertise in sports medicine to treat people as a physical therapist and train them as a strength coach. The combination of the two disciplines has made Caleb a sought-after specialist who is as adept at working with the general population as he is in training and rehabilitating athletes. He has also built up a loyal online following by making complex movement theories simple and accessible. 

In this episode, Caleb shares: 

• How his own injuries inform how he treats his patients
• What role connection and communication play in effectively therapy and coaching
• Why playing the long game is more effective than chasing shortcuts 
• How function takes precedence over pain during injury rehab
• What he remembers about playing for a national championship

Learn more about Caleb’s work on his website and through his Instagram feed.

Henry Barrera currently holds the position of the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach and Assistant Coach for the University of Alabama men's basketball team. Before that, he joined the Liberty men’s basketball program as its Director of Performance in June 2015 and was promoted to Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports in July 2018. Barrera came to Liberty from the state of Oregon, where he was a Performance Training Specialist at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton. While at Nike he was instrumental in designing training content for multiple projects including Jordan Brand’s Terminal 23 in New York and The Hangar in Los Angeles. He continues to consult with many training companies including Nike Basketball, the Jordan Brand, Nike N7, Shoot 360, and multiple others.

As a basketball player, Barrera began his college career with Leon Rice at Yakima Valley Community College helping rebuild a dormant program and eventually becoming league co-champs in 1996-97. After two years at Yakima Valley Community College Henry moved on to Multnomah University where he had a stellar career, averaging close to 20.0 ppg and dishing out almost 8.0 apg. Barrera was rewarded for his hard work and dedication by being named a three-time All-American and was ultimately honored with the 1999-2000 NCCAA Pete Maravich National Player of the Year award. 

In this episode, you’ll hear Henry share:

·       What a painful family experience taught him about prioritizing

·       How faith helped him bounce back strong from a devastating loss

·       What he did as an undersized player to exceed other people’s expectations and win a nationwide award for best point guard

·       How performance principles from other sports can be applied to basketball

·       What’s at the core of the NCAA Tournament-level basketball program at Liberty U

[Originally released February 2022]

Learn more about Henry’s work by following him on Twitter.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the LA Lakers looked like the heir apparent to Michael Jordan’s throne, with Shaq dominating in the post and Kobe Bryant coming into his own as the league’s emerging superstar. And when Jordan’s coach Phil Jackson took over, the final piece of the championship puzzle seemed to be in place. But in game 2 of the 2000 Finals, the Laker’s title run was jeopardized when Kobe went down with a severe ankle sprain. 

Somehow, Lakers head athletic trainer Gary Vitti and his team got Bryant back on the floor for a pivotal game 4. In this episode, Gary shares: 

• How winning through pain helped Kobe replace “can’t” and “won’t” in his vocabulary with the “can” and “will” of the Mamba mentality
• Why heading to Indianapolis helped Kobe return to play sooner than if the series had stayed in LA
• When an argument over a thumb injury led to Gary bumping Kobe’s head
• How he used the example of Isaiah Thomas’s injury in the 1988 NBA Finals to inspire Kobe 
• What Kobe did in game 4 after Shaq fouled out to set the Lakers up to win their first title since Magic retired

To hear more of Gary’s stories about Kobe, Shaq, Magic, Kareem, and Pat Riley, listen to our previous Basketball Strong episode with him, and read his book 32 Years of Titles and Tears from the Best Seat in the House.

Growing up as the 10th of 13 siblings, George Mumford always felt sensitive to the needs of others, whether it was his brothers and sisters or the homeless people he’d pass when walking to and from school. It was the same emotional intelligence that would one day serve him well when guiding the mental game of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Kobe Bryant’s LA Lakers. But first he had to pass through some trying times. While basketball offered an oasis from his challenging upbringing, George started drinking and using drugs at age 14. He became good enough on the blacktop to target a walk-on spot at UMass Amherst, where his roommate Julius Erving was becoming a star.

But a bad ankle injury destroyed this hoop dream and George sank deeper into addiction to try and cope. He finished his degree and put his talent for numbers to good use in financial management, but had to wear long sleeves to hide the track marks on his arm. A friend convinced him to come to an AA meeting, which led to a long process of getting clean that involved meditation. His instructor challenged him to teach and he found his passion, starting a mindfulness program for prison inmates and inner city residents. After being introduced to Phil Jackson through their mutual friend, Geoge started working with the Chicago Bulls. He stayed with them through their second three-peat, and then followed Phil to the Lakers, who won their own three championships with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. George continues to consult with pro teams, equip underprivileged kids and adults, and is the author of The Mindful Athlete and Unlocked.  

In this episode, George shares:

• What the Bulls’ mindset was like after Michael Jordan retired to play baseball and how he got Jordan to buy into the mental game when he came back for another three-peat
•  How Jordan responded to missing the potential title-winning shot in Game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals
• Why Kobe and MJ were the best meditation students he’s had, and Kobe was a kindred soul
• How drive, passion, and curiosity are at the heart of the Mamba Mentality
• Why unlocking your masterpiece within starts with no longer hiding out and being double-minded
• How to find stillness in the eye of the hurricane on the court and in life
• Why the same principles he followed in rehab carry over into elite performance
• How he helps people find their true selves and share their gifts with the world

To tap into all of George’s mindset resources, visit his website, georgemumford.com. You can take his Mindful Athlete course there and check out his new book, Unlocked.

Carrie Moore came to basketball later than most of her peers, when a friend and neighbor’s love of the game rubbed off on her. She quickly made up for lost time, learning from her high school coach Frank Orlando, who’d go on to win almost 800 games. Carrie became a leader on the floor and then scored over 2,000 points at Western Michigan University, where she led the nation in points per game in her senior year.

After graduating, Carrie’s sharp shooting earned her a spot in the WNBA, where she played for the Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. Carrie also played pro in Poland. Once she called time on her playing career, Carrie moved from the floor to the sideline. She cut her coaching teeth in assistant roles at Creighton, Princeton, Michigan, and North Carolina, also overseeing recruiting. After Kathy Delaney-Smith announced her retirement after 40 years as head coach at Harvard, the Crimson tapped Carrie to replace her after she helped Michigan reach the Elite Eight. In her first season, Carrie led Harvard to 20 wins and a run in the WNIT.

In this episode, Carrie reveals:

• How legendary high school coach Frank Orlando became like a grandfather
• Why she adopted his “believe it” motto and uses it at Harvard
• What she learned from Courtney Banghart about
• How she coaches young women to win the game of life
• Which 4 core values guide the Harvard women’s basketball program
• How she recruits effectively in the age of NIL and the Transfer Portal

Keep up with Carrie’s journey and Harvard women’s basketball by following her on Twitter at  @CoachMoore33

Ramsey Nijem’s mom worked multiple jobs to put food on the table for her family and give them the opportunity to excel. So it’s no surprise that he worked so hard in college that he finished his master’s and doctorate in half the normal time and ended up working as an assistant strength coach for the Sacramento Kings just a few short years later.

It took years for the Kings to lay the foundation for their recent return to the NBA playoffs and Ramsey was on site pouring concrete and laying bricks every day, often for 15+ hours. He was one of the first strength and conditioning coaches to integrate data-driven decision making, but always pursued a person-first, athlete-second model. He could’ve stayed at the Kings or in the league for his whole career, but when Bill Self came calling, he moved on to KU. That very next season, Jayhawks like Christian Braun – now an NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets – led the team to a national title.

In this episode, Ramsey shares:

·       How his dog and a gold chain changed the course of his life

·       What he sacrificed to accelerate his education and professional development in elite performance

·       How he implemented sports science thoughtfully with the Kings

·       Why most people think about NBA load management wrong

·       What powered KU basketball to the 2021 NCAA Final Four and a national title

·       Why he embraced life in Lawrence

·       Why Bill Self is such a great coach

Keep up with Ramsey on Instagram @dr.ramsey.nijem and check out his 8-week course and certification for up and coming strength & performance professionals at https://www.appliedperformancecoach.com/

Everybody loves winners, but sometimes the most compelling stories are born out of losing. That’s one of the things Ian Thomsen learned when he was assigned to cover the losingest team in college football while in Northwestern University’s famed journalism program. He also juggled a job for the Chicago Sun-Tribune and eventually earned a spot on one of the greatest writing rosters of all time with the Boston Globe. 

This gave Ian an insider’s view of the heated Celtics-Lakers rivalry that defined NBA basketball in the 80s, and led to a candid, two-hour interview with Michael Jordan when he was coming back from a potential career-ending foot injury. Later stints with Sports Illustrated and The International Herald Tribune saw Ian covering events as diverse as the Rugby World Cup, UEFA Champion’s League, and London Olympics. Throughout all these experiences, Ian’s love of people, ability to unearth previously untold stories, and passion for sports has shone through in every single word he puts on the page. 

In this interview, Ian shares: 

• 
  What it was like to interview Michael Jordan, Pat Riley, and the best Celtics team 
• How living in London and Paris expanded his perspective on life
• Which unexpected stories he most enjoyed writing
• How the Heat vs Lakers vs Celtics vs Mavericks rivalry pivoted the NBA for the better
• What place longform storytelling has in our attention-limited society

To enjoy more of Ian’s insights, follow him on Twitter and read The Soul of Basketball.

NBA, NHL, MLS, division I college sports, pro rugby. There are few sports that Jeremy Bettle hasn’t worked in at the highest level. At each stop, he has combined the firm foundation of understanding the latest sports science with communication, teamwork, leadership and other soft skills that have allowed him to apply it.

Working with Deron Williams and developing a relationship with GM Billy King led to Jeremy switching from director of sports performance at UC Santa Barbara to becoming head S+C coach at the then New Jersey Nets. He instilled a multidisciplinary approach that included sleep, nutrition, strength training and much more. Partway through his tenure, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce came over in a trade with the Boston Celtics.

In this interview, Jeremy shares:

·       Why if you’re terrified then you’re probably in the right job

·       How mentoring from Dr. Maury Hayashida helped him get athletes from injury to return to play

·       How KG would’ve viewed the kind of “load management” that’s popular in today’s NBA

·       Why teams should prepare players for load, not shield them from it

·       How to use sleep monitoring and RPE more effectively

·       Why player testing should be connected to ongoing monitoring

·       How loading connective tissues and keeping chronic workloads high can increase athlete durability and reduce injury risk

·       Why remembering that players have spouses, kids, and similar everyday lives to everyone else can help coaches better serve them

Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn or on Instagram at @jeremybettlecoaching . Also check out the multidisciplinary Test, Treat, Train model of human performance at Variant in Santa Barbara or online at https://www.varianttraininglab.com/ 

Growing up with a dad (Terry) who played 10 seasons in the NBA, you might expect that Ed Davis was pushed from the time he could hold a basketball. But his father let Ed’s love of the game develop naturally before training him on the court, at the track, and in the weight room when he was a teenager. Ed also benefited from a mom who let him put basketball first, pickup games with the likes of Ben Wallace at Virginia Union, and the discipline and timekeeping he learned at a private military school.

All these things helped Ed become a top-10 high school prospect and McDonald’s High School All-American. His decision to play for Roy Williams at UNC was vindicated when the team won the national championship his freshman year. After his sophomore season, Ed declared for the 2010 NBA Draft and was picked 13th by the Toronto Raptors. In his 12-year career, he also played for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Jazz, Nets, and Cavaliers, and led the league in offensive rebounding rate one season.

In this episode, Ed dishes on:

·       Why he chose to fight for playing time at North Carolina over starting at other schools

·       How breaking his wrist against Duke changed his pre-draft process

·       Why the Transfer Portal, NIL, and mixtapes have changed high school and college basketball  

·       How guidance from Reggie Evans and DeMar DeRozan helped him navigate his rookie year

·       Who was his worst coach in the NBA and how this contrasted with the leadership of Quin Snyder and Roy Williams

Keep up with Ed on Twitter @eddavisXVII. 

Ax throwing. Log balancing. Carrying kettlebells through the forest. Standup paddling. Visitors to Gray Cook’s lake cabin invariably do some activities that might seem unconventional at first but actually train every major movement pattern and then some. Gray applies a similar real-world lens to the movement and function assessments that he co-created for athletes, including the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). 

When Basketball Strong co-host Tim Francesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he used these screens to identify the gaps in their movement literacy so that he could make them more durable on the court. Gray’s practices are used across the NBA and in many college and high school programs, and his movement philosophies and practices offer coaches, parents, and players at every level the chance to reduce the risk of injury, increase strength, power, balance, and speed, and play the game better for longer. 

In this episode, Gray shares: 

• What movement patterns and exercises are best suited to basketball players and other tall athletes
• How to improve balance, squatting, rotation, jumping, and more 
• What S+C coaches, PTs, ATs and other professionals can do to help players with ACL injuries avoid getting hurt again
• What “functional” training does and doesn’t mean
• Which physical qualities should be developed to make basketball players more durable and how the FMS can help identify weaknesses that can be turned into strengths
• How John Wooden ensured his UCLA teams were fresher than their opponents in the fourth quarter

Click here to read Gray’s books and articles, find seminars and other resources on the Functional Movement website, and keep an eye out for Gray’s new book, The Business of Movement.

Ax throwing. Log balancing. Carrying kettlebells through the forest. Standup paddling. Visitors to Gray Cook’s lake cabin invariably do some activities that might seem unconventional at first but actually train every major movement pattern and then some. Gray applies a similar real-world lens to the movement and function assessments that he co-created for athletes, including the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) and Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). 

When Basketball Strong co-host Tim DiFrancesco was the S&C coach for the Lakers, he used these screens to identify the gaps in their movement literacy so that he could make them more durable on the court. Gray’s practices are used across the NBA and in many college and high school programs, and his movement philosophies and practices offer coaches, parents, and players at every level the chance to reduce the risk of injury, increase strength, power, balance, and speed, and play the game better for longer. 

In this episode, Gray shares: 

• What movement patterns and exercises are best suited to basketball players and other tall athletes
• How to improve balance, squatting, rotation, jumping, and more 
• What S+C coaches, PTs, ATs and other professionals can do to help players with ACL injuries avoid getting hurt again
• What “functional” training does and doesn’t mean
• Which physical qualities should be developed to make basketball players more durable and how the FMS can help identify weaknesses that can be turned into strengths
• How John Wooden ensured his UCLA teams were fresher than their opponents in the fourth quarter

Click here to read Gray’s books and articles, find seminars and other resources on the Functional Movement website, and keep an eye out for Gray’s new book, The Business of Movement.

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination.

In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France.

In this episode, Tim dishes on:

• What mental tools he used to come back strong after tearing his Achilles and stay in the NBA
• Why his draft workout led to the 76ers drafting Joel Embiid
•  How he apprenticed under Rajon Rondo and Damian Lillard
• Why he and trainer Phil Beckner almost came to blows
• How his faith has kept him strong through adversity
• What athletes can do to level up on the court and in life
• How pro basketball games in Greece involve fans throwing flares, coins, and more

Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination.

In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France.

In this episode, Tim dishes on:

• What mental tools he used to come back strong after tearing his Achilles and stay in the NBA
• Why his draft workout led to the 76ers drafting Joel Embiid
•  How he apprenticed under Rajon Rondo and Damian Lillard
• Why he and trainer Phil Beckner almost came to blows
• How his faith has kept him strong through adversity
• What athletes can do to level up on the court and in life
• How pro basketball games in Greece involve fans throwing flares, coins, and more

Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Tim Frazier was told he was too small and weak to play contact sports. But sibling rivalry fueled him to prove his doubters wrong and propelled him to a basketball scholarship with Penn. There, his stellar play at the point earned Tim All Big Ten honors. Yet disaster loomed, and he tore his Achilles just a few months later. Looking at the game through his coaches’ eyes, he turned a negative into a positive and worked his way back onto the court with courage and determination.

In his senior year, Tim’s pure point guard skills and improved shooting got him back in contention for the NBA draft, but he never heard his name called. He worked out for several teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers and made the Boston Celtics’ summer league squad. He was playing in the D League in Maine when he got the call from the 76ers, who needed cover because of injuries. Avery Bradley had to lend Tim shoes because his were locked in his team’s practice facility. Tim had a series of short stays with multiple NBA teams, before getting a two-year deal with New Orleans. He played for 9 seasons in the league, before taking his talents to Greece and France.

In this episode, Tim dishes on:

• What mental tools he used to come back strong after tearing his Achilles and stay in the NBA
• Why his draft workout led to the 76ers drafting Joel Embiid
•  How he apprenticed under Rajon Rondo and Damian Lillard
• Why he and trainer Phil Beckner almost came to blows
• How his faith has kept him strong through adversity
• What athletes can do to level up on the court and in life
• How pro basketball games in Greece involve fans throwing flares, coins, and more

Keep up with Tim on his Instagram feed @timfraz23

Strength and conditioning for young pro athletes isn’t easy, but because they’re bouncy and resilient, you can experiment more to find a line of best fit. But what about when you’re training older athletes aged 35 and up, either in the general population or a pro sports setting? That’s the question legendary strength coach answers in this podcast. In this part 2, he and former Lakers S&C coach Tim DiFrancesco discuss:

• Why you should make a “who’s smarter than me?” list and then seek those people out to learn from them
•  How he approached coaching veteran athletes with the Boston Red Sox
• Why the most important question to ask is “Does this hurt” and any answer other than “no” means “yes”
• What the number one reason is for older athletes getting hurt and how to avoid it
• Why over-valuing your own knowledge leads to under-networking
•  Which exercises he typically avoids with veteran athletes
• Why a coach needs to be an effective face reader and active listener
• How being a bouncer and bartender gave him the soft skills needed for coaching
• Which coaches and PTs he sought out for mentoring and who he recommends today

Read Mike’s new book, Designing Strength Training Programs and Facilities (2nd edition), check out his articles at strengthcoach.com, and follow him at @mboyle1959 on Twitter and @michael_boyle1959 on Instagram 

Coach John Mosley can still remember the day his life changed forever. Gang members fired bullets outside his Los Angeles high school in a drive-by shooting, and Mosley was on his way to get revenge. But as he was about to jump in his friend’s car, he asked himself, “What am I doing?” Soon afterwards, two words took him down a different path: “Basketball tryouts.” Mosley came late to the game, but his stellar point guard play earned him minutes at East LA College (ELAC), The Master’s College (now University) and with pro teams in Brazil and Australia. Next, he went back to guide the Mustangs on the sidelines with Coach Keith Oates and then took the assistant coach position at Cal State Bakersfield with Keith Brown.

His other alma mater, ELAC, came calling, and Mosley took his first head coaching job, believing he’d just be there for a year before accepting a D1 offer. Yet 11 seasons later, he feels called to remain at ELAC to develop troubled young men as players and people. Just before the pandemic, his squad got international airtime in season 1 of Last Chance U Basketball. Though COVID robbed them of a state title, KJ Allen, Deshaun Highler, and Joe Hampton became stars. In season 2, Coach Mosley and his assistants Ken Hunter and Rob Robinson guided a new crew led by Bryan Penn-Johnson, Dez Washington, Shemar Washington and Demetrius "DC" Calip II to D1 and D2 scholarships, and ELAC won the conference title.  

In this episode, Coach Mosley shares:

• How faith and basketball saved his life
• Why growing up in a tough neighborhood prepared him to lead young men
• When he almost turned down Netflix
• How he and his kids survived a terrible car wreck
• Why he continues to turn down offers from prestigious programs to serve at ELAC
• How his father passing unexpectedly galvanized his mission
• Why impacting lives is even more important than winning games or trophies

Learn more from Coach Mosley at his website, https://coachjohnmosley.com/ and on Instagram @coachjohnmosley

Most young assistant coaches dream of the day when they’ll finally get a crack at promotion. But few are ready for the realities of being a head coach. Jesse Wright realized he still had a lot to learn when he was tasked with running the weight room for the NFL Europe team in Barcelona while still in his early 20s. His work ethic and ability to problem solve got him through that trying season, and upon returning to his native Philadelphia, he soon found himself working for the 76ers as a consulting coach through a local performance center that had a contract to oversee the NBA team’s strength and conditioning. 

Overseeing the training of rookies, veterans like Andre Iguodala, Aaron McKie, and Elton Brand, and everyone in between, Jesse recognized the need to give players some degree of autonomy. After his company’s contract ended, he assumed the full-time role of the Sixers S&C coach, and later become the team’s Director of Performance Science. 

In this episode, Jesse reveals:

• Why younger players have so much to learn from the work habits of Aaron McKie, Andre Iguodal, and Elton Brand
• Which elements of coaching football players transferred to his time in the NBA
• How soft skills like communication, hustle, and vision can do more for anyone’s career than technical proficiency 
• How he continued his mother’s creative legacy by writing two books
• What tactics you can use to manage fast-growing teams in any walk of life

To learn more from Jesse, check out his book The Intent is to Grow, follow him on Instagram, and visit his website.