Giannis Antetokounmpo Says Failure Is Not The Antithesis Of Winning

After his Milwaukee Bucks had been summarily dismissed in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat, Giannis was asked if the Milwaukee Bucks great season had been erased by this loss and should it be considered a “failure”. In answering this question, Giannis took a deep breath and calmly used the Socratic method in his response but ending with a resounding “no”! He points out that it is about the journey, the daily effort and striving each year to maximize your potential. Ultimately, it is about your life’s work and what you have been able to accomplish and if you are working everyday to be your best, then you are a winner, even if you do not achieve a stated goal.

Giannis asserts that the importance of this journey is reflected in every profession and in every walk of life. Perhaps it is because he is from a different culture— where he was taught slightly different values and winning wasn’t the only thing that matters in sports and life. The only thing I wish he would have added is that this loss hurt him deeply and will be a motivational thorn in his side until he can come back next year and reclaim a championship.

Our sports culture sets up nearly everyone for failure. In every sport there are many teams competing and in the end there is only one winner, one champion. Does that mean everyone else is a losers and their season meaningless—all of their efforts and achievements along the way futile? That is the existential question we pose in sports nearly every day and the media has developed a particular way of answering that question.

Typically the sports media focus on and exalts only one thing: winning. They label teams and athletes either winners or losers based on the result when covering each game and ultimately how the season ends up. In fact, you can have a string of good games where you are continually praised, but if your road doesn’t lead to a championship the pundits will find a reason to harshly criticize you. In sports, it is truly the old adage, you are only as good as your last game. The reality is that all the hard work, improvement, dedication, team spirit, camaraderie, perseverance and everything else associated with competing in sports is ignored. You are either a winner or a loser. And with that loser tag often comes lifelong branding. Like in the case of Charles Barkley, where Shaquille O’Neal teases him incessantly, on TNT’s “Inside The NBA”, about how Charles never won an NBA Championship .

The role of failure in our lives has been the subject of much discussion. It can be the source of fear, anxiety, depression— and some are even debilitated by failure. Others use failure for learning, motivation and fueling competitive fire. When best activated, failure can be the catalyst for maximizing potential.

I have seen this concept of failure as motivation at work through the eyes of some of the greatest athletes of all time that I represented over the years: remarkable people like Ronnie Lott (4 time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Hall of Famer), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6 NBA Titles), Shaquille O’Neal (4 NBA Titles), and Hakeem Olajuwon (2 NBA Titles), among others. I’ve seen them experience the thrill of victory and agony of defeat and how devastated they were when they lost. But what they had in common was using failure as motivation for future improvement and success. Clearly, the results speak for themselves.

To Giannis’ point, sports should be a macrocosm of the core values we want to encourage in life. While winning is undoubtedly important, it is not the only thing that matters. In a sports setting, individuals are often pushed to their limits and challenged in ways that they may not be in other areas of life. This can help them to develop a sense of resilience and a willingness to persevere in the face of challenges. Furthermore, sports provide a natural environment for individuals to work together and develop teamwork skills. Whether it’s a team sport like basketball or a individual sport like track and field, athletes must learn to work together in order to achieve their goals. This can help them to develop important skills such as communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

Finally, sports participation should encourage a drive to continually improve and maximize one’s potential. This means focusing not just on winning but on personal growth and development. The culture of “winning at all costs” and labeling people “losers” is a dangerous game to play. Sometimes it is hard to bounce back from that. The role of failure following defeat should the motivating force driving self improvement keeping in mind the famous Nike ad: “there is no finish line.”

The great coach John Wooden would never talk about winning or losing even though he won a mind blowing 10 NCAA basketball championships in 11 years. Wooden’s definition of success was: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” It is about the effort to maximize your potential and the journey. This is how we should be judged whether in sports or life.