5 To Do’s / Not To Do’s When Following Up with an NBA Contact

Landing an NBA Internship

One of the best ways, if not THE WAY to get an NBA internship is through making and building connections in the industry.

When I first started pursuing my dream of working in the NBA, I had 0 connections, none.  And I’m not really a networker, so there’s that.  But I took an on-line course and met someone who knew someone who knew someone.  And then I had a college classmate who knew someone who knew someone.  And I slowly started to make those ever-important connections. 

And then a year later… I was that connection others were looking to.  And it was quite overwhelming.  Hundreds of e-mails, requests for your time, and being hit up on anything and anywhere. 

One of the young fellas I’d been talking to over the past couple of years while he was a GA landed an NBA internship this past season.  And all of a sudden, he felt the switch flip.  “How do I handle all of these calls and e-mails?  I want to be nice to everyone but I just can’t get back to them.”

I’m currently teaching an on-line course where students are being exposed to those working in the NBA and a huge question for everyone is… how do I further this connection from someone I’ve ‘met.’

5 tips to making a real connection

#1 Stay Off Their Personals

When people reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram or any of my personal social pages, you’re more than likely to not receive a response.  Respect that these people you’re reaching out to have a personal life and likely want to keep that personal especially when there are spaces to reach out to them professionally.

The two main spaces I would recommend reaching out to people are on LinkedIn and through their work e-mail.  This doesn’t mean that you will 100% get a response but this is the appropriate avenue to reach out to someone.  LinkedIn is fairly easy to find someone’s handle and someone’s work e-mail can usually be surmised by doing a little research online.

#2 Keep it Brief

By brief… I mean brief.  Once someone goes into a 2nd paragraph or even a long paragraph, I’m done.  There are just too many messages and not enough time.  And everyone you’re reaching out to also likely has a full-time job that is taking many hours out of their day, especially in professional sports where free time can be hard to come by.

If you connected with someone at a conference or on-line class, reach out and let them know you were glad to meet them, say thank you, and bring up something specific that stood out to you.

I recently spoke at a local college.  Many of those students followed up with me to say thank you.  I sincerely appreciated every message and connection I made.  And I continued to notice them on LinkedIn as they posted about their own pursuits and opportunities.  Most people who are speaking to groups want to connect with you and want to see you succeed, they just don’t have the availability to go deeper at first connection. 

For me, those students who reached out, the next time I’m on campus, we’ll be a little further in our connection.

#3 Ask a Specific Question

You don’t have to ask a question, a thank you is good enough.  But if you do have questions to ask, make them specific.  I get a lot of questions from people that I’ve already answered in these articles.  That tells me that it’s either a copy and paste or they haven’t done their homework.  Whenever I am meeting with someone such as an author or someone who has written a book, I go and read all their books so when I meet with them therefor I’m not asking them questions they’ve already answered. 

#4 Don’t Ask for 30 Minutes of Their Time

Many of the messages I get on LinkedIn are requests for a 30-minute phone call.  Maybe that doesn’t seem like a lot of time to you, but those you’re reaching out to are likely working a full-time job and also have a family.  30 minutes of time is a lot.  When it’s 20+ people asking for 30 minutes of time, it’s unattainable.  Don’t ask for something that’s unattainable.  Which goes back to… be brief and be specific.  If they like you and want to follow up with you, they will.  If you’re heading to Summer League or an NBA event, let them know you’ll be there.  You don’t have to ask to meet them, if they want to meet you, they will and if they don’t, they won’t.  If you’re in their city, reach out to them and see if you can connect but don’t come with expectations, leave the ball in their court. 

When I was looking for NBA internships, I lived in Virginia at the time.  I let Charlotte, Atlanta, and Washington know I was around and would love to visit.  I never heard back from them.  But Boston did welcome me, so I flew to town and made myself available.    

#5 Understand the Rhythms of the Season

It’s important when you are reaching out to NBA personnel that you understand what part of the season they are in.  There are certainly better times than others to reach out.  If you are reaching out to someone in the Front Office around the Trade Deadline or NBA Draft, you are likely to find your message to disappear amongst all the tasks and messages at hand.  If you’re reaching out to a Coach during Training Camp or the Playoffs, the same. 

Bonus – Connection Takes Time

A relationship may go further with starting out with a thank you than a request for a 30-minute conversation.    

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Some of my closest friends in the NBA are those who reached out to me when they were in college or working their way up from the G-League.  Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t been able to find or make those connections yet, it can be really difficult.  But know that, most people in the NBA do want to help and give back to you for the same reason… someone did it for them.  And in a few years, you’ll probably be doing it for someone else.