Your Never-Ending NBA & Hoops Portfolio

Getting a job in the NBA

We are currently in our GITG101 NBA Training Camp Course and one of the things we have our students work on is their Portfolios. 

It is a somewhat open-ended project where each student can focus on their own interests and path (coaching, scouting, salary cap, analytics, coding, player development, athletic training – you get the gist, there are so many options for you to get involved!)

At our last session, we had Matt Whinrey, Advanced Scout for the New Orleans Pelicans on and he gave an incredible amount of wisdom and advice but one of the things that really stood out to me when I asked him about what advice he would have as students put together their portfolios… he said, “I’m 14 years in and I am still working on my portfolio.”  And then he dove into his never-ending growth process and the things he has learned and added year-to-year as he dives into his current work while simultaneously preparing for the next step of the journey.

It’s not only great advice for those looking to get a job in basketball but it’s great life advice. 

The preparation never ends.  There isn’t a time when you’ve arrived or have learned all you need to learn.  It’s a process and one that doesn’t stop.  And that is not a negative.  It is an opportunity.  An opportunity to keep learning, keep growing, and to keep taking advantage of the next open door.

If you were able to get an NBA job or internship this off-season, it’s not time to say, ‘I did it!’ and fail to keep growing.  And the inverse is true, if your opportunity didn’t come this off-season, it’s not time to say ‘I failed,’ and give up.  Regardless of your situation, it’s always time to keep learning and keep growing. 

As basketball season gets ready to begin at all levels, find the areas you are passionate about and seek to learn and grow in those spaces.  And at the end of the season, you will find yourself better equipped going into the off-season.