Being the Best You Can Be
“Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do something, because you can if you focus on the process and put in the hard work”. This was just one of the powerful takeaways from Matt Bonner’s address to the Crescent community. The former professional basketball player, two-time NBA champion, and current co-host of The Raptors Show on Sportsnet was the Stransman Speaker at a full-school assembly on April 10.
Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2003, Bonner was promptly traded to the Toronto Raptors, where he played three seasons before joining the San Antonio Spurs. During the 12 years he spent in the NBA, he won two championships and played with some of the biggest names in basketball history.
Bonner acknowledges “all the cool things” that happened in his life but doesn’t dwell on the fame and accolades. “When I think back to my career as a basketball player, that is not the stuff I think of,” he told the rapt crowd. “ I think of the process; the journey to becoming the best basketball player I could be.” The key, shared Bonner, is being disciplined and putting in the hard work, even when you don’t feel like it.
Bonner also shared some hard lessons about adversity. He had the audience on the edge of their seats as he delivered a play-by-play account of the final minutes of game six of the 2013 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. The Spurs were up three games to two and—with 28 seconds left on the clock—up five points over the Heat. They lost the game in overtime and ultimately, the championship in game seven. “ That was the worst loss of my entire career. We were devastated,” lamented Bonner. “Now here's where overcoming adversity comes in. We learned from our mistakes and said, ‘We're gonna use this as motivation. We're gonna work even harder, be even better next year.’” And that’s just what happened. The Spurs won the NBA championship in 2014, beating—you guessed it—the Heat in five.
Bonner stressed the importance of facing adversity with a growth mindset, adding, “Whatever goes wrong, absorb it, think about it, process it.” The people who can learn from these experiences, he concluded, will be better for it. “Adversity builds character and helps us move forward stronger.”
The annual Stransman Speaker assembly is made possible by the Leadership in Sports Endowment, which was established in 2006 in memory of John Stransman by Anne Rogers (Mr. Stransman's widow) and Richard Carl (a close family friend). Both were special guests at the April 10 event.
