This season, the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA Championship with an amazing series victory over the mighty Warriors from Golden State. After the game, the Most Valuable Player award was earned by first year Raptor and now two time finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. With this distinction, Leonard becomes only the third player in NBA history to win the finals MVP two times, joining Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and future member LeBron James. When all the lights were shining on Kawhi he was asked how he felt saying, “I was going through a lot last summer, I have been working very hard, and my mindset was on the goal of the The Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, and with a coach (Nick Nurse) who had the same mindset, to win the NBA Finals.” This shows that the MVP stayed focused on his goal even through the adversity of an injury. This was only one quote from Kawhi that showed how his mindset made the difference this season. Here are a few more:
When talking about rehabbing his injury last summer he said “Trust the process.” – The MVP could have thrown himself a pity party since he wasn’t going to be able to play a full season. Instead, he stayed focused on his mission of helping his new team win an NBA title. This dedication to reach the highest of goals drove him. When you focus on the process, the result will take care of itself. Stay aggressive and relentless in pursuit of your goals and never give up!
When asked about his growth as a man and his priorities, Kawhi had a great response. A quote that highlighted his mindset was – “It doesn’t matter what anyone has to say about me, I know who I am as a person.” – The MVP has a blatant disregard for the media and the hype “I don’t care what the media has to say about me… I’m not trying to make headlines.” When he steps out on the court, he’s focused on the present moment and what he can do to best play his role on the team. Records, predictions and hype are for the fans not the competitors and Leonard has a strong grasp on that. One more point on the above quotes – when you know who you are as a person, everything else falls into place. Figure out your purpose for playing basketball and keep it in perspective, enjoy every moment because any moment on the court could be your last.
And remember it doesn’t have to be the NBA Finals for mindset to make the difference!