50 DIGS.NET | 10.16.2015
Meanwhile his day job since that fateful 1983 phone call has revolved, year in, year out, around pro basketball. An
NBA player for 14 seasons—11 of them with The Lakers—Scott kicked off his coaching career in 1998 as assistant
coach of the Sacramento Kings. In 2000, he took over as head coach of the New Jersey Nets. Fourteen years
later, after returning to his home team, the team he loves the most, The Lakers, for a second act.
As a coach, Scott's leadership style is embedded with the experience of having been one of the guys lacing up
his sneakers and heading onto the court each night. The difference between being a player and a coach? Shifting
from a singular perspective to a collective one. "As a player I always felt that I could affect the game because I'm
out there on the floor," Scott explains. "As a coach I have to rely on these guys to affect the game, and have faith
in me that the plays we have presented to them, they can go out and implement."
"As a player you only have to worry about you, but as a coach you got to worry about the whole team. You've got
to somehow convince them that the ultimate goal and the agenda should only be to win." To win on the courts,
yes. And if Scott had his way, for each to win in every other meaningful aspect of their life.
BOTH SIDES NOW
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