Happy Wednesday! As a reminder, we’re using sports to remind us of what once was good, and what could be again. Since the last edition, Indiana won the national title and the Bills fired Sean McDermott while giving their GM a promotion. Nothing makes sense! Let’s figure this life thing out together.
Today’s Rundown
Selling the Lakers
WE > I
Mountain-adjacent sermons
Bench scorers
Money vs Purpose
Highly recommend anything written by Baxter Holmes, but his recent story about the Buss family (former owners of the Lakers) had a highlight that I found incredibly pertinent.
IN MAY 1979, Jerry Buss paid $67.5 million to Jack Kent Cooke in a sprawling financial deal that netted Buss the Lakers, the NHL's L.A. Kings, the Forum arena in Inglewood, and Cooke's 13,000-acre California ranch.
One month later, Buss drafted star point guard Magic Johnson with the No. 1 pick. The Lakers won the NBA championship in Buss' first season. That title established an era known by a single word: Showtime.
But less than a decade into his tenure as owner, Buss faced financial trouble. He was asked by someone on the Lakers' roster if he'd ever consider selling the Lakers.
"He looked at me and he said, 'If I sold the team, I'd have a lot of money. And then I'd be sitting around my house saying to myself, 'Wow, I've got a lot of money now, what should I do with it?'" the former player told ESPN.
Buss explained that, if he were in that situation and flush with that kind of money, he'd want to buy the Lakers.
In 1997, Buss had had a similar chat with his son, Johnny, who believed a sale would net $1 billion.
"He'd say, 'The only reason I would ever sell right now is because my family wanted me to, because they want to go do something else -- like, let's go buy Disneyland or something like that.'" Johnny told ESPN. But his father said, "Johnny, we own the Lakers. What's more fun than that?"
In the early 2000s, Buss declined a $1 billion offer for the team.
I frequently see stories of former founders who battle depression after selling their company. Their baby - the thing they found purpose and growth in achieving day-in and day-out - was gone and an existential question was highlighted: “now what?”
This applies to those of us working normal jobs and can’t afford to buy the Lakers (even though I’m saving up one $2 bill at a time). How do you balance what’s fun, what you love with the desire to make more money than you might truly need?
A question to ponder: where in my life am I short-changing my happiness, passions, and fun for a few extra bucks?
Team > Individual
Watch this clip of Fernando Mendoza after winning the title on Monday…
Everything was about “we”, “our”, “us”.
Incredibly motivating for the rest of the team to have their star QB (the one who can sometimes become larger than life) be more focused on everyone else. We all know the story of the Hoosiers by now, but this clip really encapsulates what led to their success. No one was truly above the rest in that locker room. Whether it’s NIL dollars or recruiting rankings, they were just one group on the field rather than a collection of individuals.
Whether you’re religious or not, it’s an interesting parallel with the Lord’s Prayer (something you’ve surely heard your aunt say or maybe you’ve just attended a Catholic wedding1).
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, he directed his disciples to pray for each other. Not “give me food, forgive me, save me, heal me".
Thinking about others is what we’re all called to do - again, whether you’re religious or not you can agree that performing selfless acts leaves you feeling much more satisfied than when you’re just looking out for yourself.
This week, I encourage you to think about where you’re saying “I want”, “I need”, etc.
How can we have a better friendship?
How can we reach our revenue targets?
How great will this new game be for us?
Today’s Trivia Question
Who has the most career points by a Lakers player off the bench?
Using Rookie of the Year moments as a scale, today's newsletter made me feel like...
Thanks for reading this human-written newsletter. I hope you’d consider sharing it with a friend who enjoys one or more of the following:
back-shoulder throws
indisputable video evidence
orange Gatorade
Guardian caps
elevator screens2
With gratitude,
Brandon
1 in-between the parts where they sing-speak or you doze off
2 for Kyle Korver or Steph Curry, exclusively
