What I Learned Playing with the Los Angeles Lakers

Back in college, around 1985, I had one of the most meaningful experiences of my basketball life.

I was invited to a special summer run at University of California Los Angeles—UCLA, in Westwood, where members of the championship Los Angeles Lakers were working out.

This wasn’t a camp.

This wasn’t a showcase.

This was real professional work.

On the floor were Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Byron Scott, Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, and Jamaal Wilkes.

Jamaal Wilkes meant something special to me. Growing up, I had watched him in the movie  Cornbread Earl and Me, long before I ever imagined sharing a court with him.

And suddenly, there I was — a young college player running with NBA champions.

Magic had just won his third NBA championship. Kareem was Kareem. These were elite professionals at the highest level of their craft.

At the time, I thought I was just playing basketball.

What I didn’t realize was that I was getting a masterclass in entrepreneurship.

Every Bounce Was Worth a Dollar

Here’s what hit me:

For them, this wasn’t “summer hoops.”

This was business.

Every dribble mattered.

Every pass mattered.

Every layup mattered.

Every jump shot mattered.

They treated their bodies like assets.

They treated preparation like a job.

They treated repetition like currency.

Summer wasn’t vacation.

Summer was investment season.

They were building strength, sharpening skills, and tightening fundamentals in preparation for the upcoming season. This was how they protected their careers. This was how they increased their value.

Back then, I didn’t have the language for it.

But looking back now, I understand:

These men were entrepreneurs.

Basketball just happened to be their vehicle.

I Learned by Osmosis

Nobody sat me down and said, “Kid, this is a business.”

I learned by proximity.

By watching how seriously they warmed up.

By seeing how focused they were during casual runs.

By overhearing conversations about conditioning and preparation.

I absorbed it through osmosis.

That’s when I began to understand:

If you want to be a professional, you have to move like one.

Not when it’s convenient.

Not when people are watching.

All the time.

College basketball felt like fun with responsibility.

Playing with pros showed me responsibility with discipline.

That difference changed everything.

The Game Inside the Game

Basketball is a game.

But it’s also a business ecosystem.

Every rep compounds.

Every workout compounds.

Every decision compounds.

Those Lakers taught me something I still carry into entrepreneurship today:

Treat your craft like a business — even when it looks like play.

Outside of a summer pro league and a pre-season with the Houston Rockets, I never played in the NBA.

That’s not what this story is about.

This is about learning how to be a professional.

It’s about understanding that excellence isn’t accidental — it’s practiced.

And sometimes, the biggest lessons don’t come from classrooms.

They come from sharing a court with champions, or being mentored by Tony Robbins.