You can learn everything you need to know about someone by the way they answer certain questions (whether they’re intentionally answering them or not). Which is why I love deconstructing top performers and looking for the questions they asked and answered along their journey.
Several weeks ago, I did this with NBA superstar Donovan Mitchell and this week I’m back with another basketball star—BYU legend, Jimmer Fredette.
*Sidenote, I remember going to the game at the Marriott Center where he dropped 43 points on the unbeaten San Diego Aztecs who had future NBA Champion Kawhai Leonard leading their team. And less than a year later, I met him when he swung by the shop I was working at and signed a jersey and copy of the Sports Illustrated he was on the cover of at the time! This was at the peak of Jimmermania and he was the most down to earth guy.
❓WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE❓
“I, James T. Fredette, agree on this day, Jan. 27, 2007, to do the work and make the necessary sacrifices to be able to reach my ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.”
While his peers were partying, watching tv, and trying to pass US History, Jimmer signed this contract and hung it on his bedroom wall (it still hangs there today).
“It reminded me of what my goal was,” said Jimmer, “and if I didn’t want to work hard or practice that day, I would look at that and think, ‘You have to work as hard as you possibly can and do things other kids aren’t doing in order to be the best and reach your goal.’ It was a big help.”
It’s easy to say yes to big dreams, it’s much harder to say no to all of the distractions along the way. Jimmer wasn’t just willing to do the work, he was willing to say no to lots of other good/normal things for kids his age along the way. While you write down the list of things you’re willing to do, consider also writing down the things you’re willing to give up in order to realize your dream.
❓WHAT DO YOU NEED TO IMPROVE❓
“He wanted me to get better at keeping my head up while dribbling,” Jimmer recalls. “All you could see was the light in the foyer that they had on. It was pretty much pitch-black, so I was doing all these dribbling drills—between the legs and behind the back, crossovers, and everything I could do to get down the hallway and get there safely.”
Jimmer’s brother, TJ, created ways to help Jimmer sharpen his skills. One drill he created was called the Gauntlet, where Jimmer had to dribble the length of a narrow church hallway in the dark. To add to the difficulty, TJ and his friends would jump out of rooms in an attempt to rattle him.
Every industry is different. You may never need to dribble through a dark hallway but you still need to be constantly improving. What drills are you willing to do to get better? What investment are you making in yourself now that “future-you” will be grateful for?
❓WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU CHOSEN❓
“You’re not going to find a more intimidating atmosphere to play basketball in, [with] the most aggressive guys you’re going to play against,” said TJ, Jimmer’s older brother. “It really helped Jimmer’s physical and mental toughness on the court. He can play anywhere now.”
Growing up, Jimmer always wanted to go to prison—to play basketball.
He had a neighbor whose uncle worked at the nearby prison and would invite people there to provide positive interactions for inmates.
At 18, he finally got to join the prison games and quickly learned how much more physical and tough the environment was there than the high school games he had been playing in previously. The harsh environment of those prison games set him up perfectly for college away games where the fans would boo and taunt him.
You get to decide what challenges you take on. What are you doing to prove to yourself that you’re capable of doing hard things?
❓WHAT’S IMPORTANT NOW❓
“I would love to be in the NBA, obviously that’s been my goal for my whole career, but I’m not focused on that right now—I’m focused on being here, in Shanghai and doing the best I can with this team, to live in the moment. If you’re thinking about future things, you won’t play your best.”
It’s easy to dream, to wish for something better, to imagine a different life.
It’s harder to stay in the moment, to focus on the task at hand. But this is the mantra of coaches like Nick Saban, who tells his players, there is nothing else but this play at this moment. Focus on this moment, give everything you have, and everything else will fall into place.
❓WHAT ARE YOU KNOWN FOR❓
“You spend enough time here — I’m the longest-serving foreign coach in the Chinese league — and you get embarrassed of Americans, to be honest, But Jimmer, I mean, it’s like is this guy for real? He’s like a Boy Scout. I’ve never heard him swear. I’ve never heard him talk bad about anyone. He’s polite to everyone. Signs every autograph. He’s in bed early. He’s like a 70-year-old man.” Brian Goorjian, Shanghai Sharks Coach
Whether you like it or not, reputation is based on perception. It’s what others say about you when you’re not around. It’s the way they interpret your actions. All you can do is act purposefully in a way that brings your values in line with your actions.
One night, Jimmer heard the fans chanting his name. Jimo! Jimo! He listened closer. Jimo Dashen, they chanted. He pulled aside the Shark’s full time translator. What did it mean?
It means lonely god, or lonely master. You’re so far ahead of everyone else in the league, you’re lonely. Like a god.”
❓HOW DO YOU RESPOND WHEN THINGS DON’T GO YOUR WAY❓
“Your career doesn't always go the way you want it to - it hasn’t in mine. I had to lean on my faith a lot when I was in the NBA when things weren’t going well, when I wasn’t playing a lot. I had to continue to be a good person. The most important thing is to be a good person. I can deal with not playing a lot or not playing well at times. But you have to have faith that you will break through and you will be successful if you keep doing the right things. I leaned on [my faith] a lot in my basketball career when I was making decisions - it’s a huge part of my life.”
Our lives never move in a straight line forward. We are made up of a series of dips, turns, and many times backward motion. Anyone can do what’s right or say the right things when life is going well. The real test comes when things fall apart. How do you respond in those moments? Are you cynical, mean, and angry? Or have you developed a foundation that enables you to act with purpose when life sends you in an unforeseen direction?
❓WHAT’S IN YOU CONTROL❓
“And that’s what it’s all about - I just try to control my game and how I am playing… when[ever] I get an opportunity I’ve felt like I played really well, no matter where I’ve been. I go out and play as hard as I can every single day… I can control my work ethic, attitude, those are the things I control - everything else takes care of itself.”
Good situations.
Bad situations.
They’re all really just situations.
What matters is what you do with the situation you are in. Jimmer bounced around several NBA teams and never found the right fit—until he went to the second highest paying basketball league in the world where he became league MVP.
Focus on what’s in your control and things will work out.
❓WHO DO YOU NEED TO BE❓
“Sometimes things just don’t work out and it’s hard to really explain. I just wish I’d had more confidence, just gone out there and played my game and whatever happened, happened. I was trying to fit in too much, not make mistakes so I could stay on the floor, and that’s not the way to play. So, as I grew in my career I was like ‘alright, I just gotta be me again’ and that’s what made me be successful playing overseas.”
Jimmer was the national college player of the year and a top 10 NBA draft pick. That is elite company to be in. And even at that level it can be tempting to think you need to be someone else to fit a situation.
In every interaction, meeting, presentation, and conversation, you have a choice—which version of yourself is going to show up? Sometimes we need to explore the edges of who we are and push ourselves to be a little more or a little less of something. And sometimes, we mistakenly think we need to be something or somebody we’re not. In those moments, we actually need to just be who we are because that’s what the moment needs.
It’s not always easy to read the situation, which is what makes this question a crucial part of your daily or weekly reflection.
Man, I love looking at the lives of others for insight into their decision making process and how they handle both the ups and downs along the journey. I’ve got more of these lined up in the coming months and can’t wait to keep dropping these in alongside our usual weekly questions.
What would happen if someone were to deconstruct your life? What questions would they find? Would you like the story being told?
Keep Asking,
Kyle
Love this. Think it’s time I deconstruct my life!