Going to the Portland Trail Blazers, who actually took the time to invest in me, was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me in my career. I got to a small market where I could focus on basketball, basketball, basketball. No distractions.
Interpretation
Investing in oneself and focusing on one's passion can lead to significant success.
Clyde Drexler emphasizes the importance of finding the right environment to nurture one's talent. By choosing to play for the Portland Trail Blazers, he was able to dedicate himself fully to basketball without outside distractions, which ultimately contributed to his success in his career.
In practice
In a motivational speech about finding the right opportunities, I would use this quote to highlight the importance of supportive environments.
Growing up, people will tell you that you have a better chance to become an astronaut than becoming an NBA player. So when you finally get to the NBA, you've beat the odds. So when you put on that jersey, everything else is downhill.
I have my dream job. If I was seven years old and you asked me what I'd want to be 30 years from now, I'd say exactly who I am. So, 'rare' and 'lucky' are the exact right words. It took a lot of hard work, and I took a weird route to get here, but man, am I grateful for it.
No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself.
My ultimate goal is for that next generation coming up, who didn't see me play, go, 'Oh, he used to play football?'
Success is always temporary. When all is said and one, the only thing you'll have left is your character.
I have found that people who really want to work at 'Saturday Night Live' and pursue it get pretty close. You have to be funny - but everyone who works there, it was their dream to work there. So it's kind of nice in that way - there's a lot of people who say, 'I just always wanted to do this, and now I'm doing it.'
Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.
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