5 Observations from Summer League
Getting a job in the NBA
I went to Summer League this year with no agenda other than to connect with you. And here are some of my observations:
1. The hallway is still the place to meet
My guy Zach hit me up, “Let me know if you get a chance to swing by the pop a shot area today!” I responded, “I’ll swing by in around 10-15.” I was there for 4 hours and met upwards of 40 of you.
The hallway is networking central. For all of those trying to set up coffees and lunches to meet people… we tell them, just meet people in the hallway. And the answer is still the same. I hung with Zach for awhile as another person came over and joined. And another. And Bjorn and Mikey V from GITG101. And then the Capitanes front office squad. And then some old NBA co-workers. Before I knew it, nearly 4 hours had passed and I retreated to a back table to take some notes… where I continued to meet new people. Before retreating to my car for an hour break and then returning. The hallway is still the place to meet!
It's loud in there. Say your name, your full name when you introduce yourself. As much as you know the other person, they may have been talking to 50-100 people and have only met you over the phone or online. Don’t assume they know who you are. Say your name, your full name, say it clearly.
2. When to reach out
I spoke to a G-League GM who said he had 25+ texts by the time his plane had landed of people wanting to meet up. “I wish people knew to wait a couple of days before reaching out,” he said to me. “We’ve got to lock in to our work when we get here and then it’s easier to meet on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday.”
Everyone at Summer League is on a bit of a different timeline. Teams and staff arrive at different times. Management at different times. And you.
The first few days of SL, many people are trying to settle in and get acclimated.
Don’t expect to hear back from everyone immediately. If you’re here for awhile, you don’t have to reach out to everyone on Day 1. And it’s okay to follow up in a few days if you didn’t hear back the first time you reached out.
I had around 20+ messages of people wanting to connect when I landed. (I’m not with a team so reach on out). But I am likely to have lost some responses in the shuffle. I went back through my phone and found typed messages unsent.
There’s no rhyme or hard fast rule, but be aware that sometimes messages slip through. So feel free to reach out again, follow up.
And rather than trying to set up lunches and coffees… offer to meet others in the hallway.
3. Read the room
As I stated before, there’s no hard fast rules for all of this. So a lot of what you need to do is read the room. I had some people text me around 5 or 6 times before we met up. Once or twice is fine. Give people time to settle in. If they want to get back to you, they will. If they don’t, don’t worry about it, move on.
When I was speaking to others in the hallway, sometimes I would catch someone else I knew and draw them into the circle. Other times, some people just jumped in the circle and tried to meet everyone. Those times are awkward for everyone. Wait to be invited into a circle or simply wait until the person you’re wanting to talk to is available.
My guy Mitchell who I’d spoken to on the phone for the last several years but had never met was standing close by, not wanting to interrupt. He then decided to get a coffee and come back. Sadly for me, he had offered to buy me a coffee while he was in the long line but my phone was off. But I certainly wouldn’t have passed up the opportunity for a cold brew and I certainly appreciated his patience in meeting up.
When a conversation starts to dissipate, know your exit. Don’t linger around. Thank them for meeting up and find your next connection. If there was someone else standing there meeting them as well, talk to that person. Where are they? What are their hopes? Build relationships across the board.
4. Meeting anyone is a win
It’s daunting. Especially if you don’t know anyone. I asked one guy who I’d been in touch with how he originally connected with me. He said he sent a thousand LinkedIn messages out and I responded.
Good for him putting in the work. It’s not about sending 1,000 copy and paste messages but about looking up each profile, find common ground, and connect. If you tell me you’re from Indiana, I’m going to respond. Find commonalities. If you wanna talk Fantasy Football, let’s chat. If you wanna talk about my work in Zimbabwe or Ukraine, I’m ready. Find things that are of importance to the person you are looking to connect with. It’s an easy way to start a conversation.
If you get ghosted, move on. In a way, it’s a numbers game. Anyone you meet, take it as a win. Meet those you want to network with but also, meet your peers.
5. Teams are hiring
People are hiring… today. And in October. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get hired today. Make connections, genuinely. Staffs will shake out over the next few months and then G-League staffs often after that. Stay ready, stay available.
Relax, have fun, if we haven’t met you yet, John Ross, Bjorn Zetterberg, and Mike Visenberg of GITG101 are all here until Wednesday morning. Also, many of our teachers and students are here. Feel free to reach out and meet, e-mail us at info@getinthegame101.com