Good To Great: The NBA’s Spurs Will Have A Rep At ForbesBLK Summit, So Take Advantage

Editor’s Note: This is the published version of ForbesBLK newsletter, Forbes’ platform that champions a global community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, leaders, and creators that are driving systematic change in business, culture, and society. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox!

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Cheers to a wonderful weekend, and thank you for following ForbesBLK on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and X (formerly Twitter).

We’re days away from our inaugural and sold-out ForbesBLK Summit. However, you can still register for virtual attendance here. I’ll admit the nerves are seeping in, but the excitement around this event has been incredible. The aim was to attract only a few hundred people for a luxurious and intimate business networking event. But my colleagues at Forbes pulled together and lured over 2,000 registrations both in-person and online.

It hasn't been easy, though. Building this platform, the intention is always to provide quality journalism and storytelling. But during the process, there’s lots of rejection which can lead to a feeling of dejection. I can only imagine what entrepreneurs endure daily. But the frustration caused me to call our ForbesBLK council member Len Elmore. That talk made me hit reset and remember the purpose of this summit. We’ve built a program that promises to be engaging and insightful. Forget sexy names, and people in this for social media clips with colorful captions. The intention of this summit is to take you from good to great.

You might’ve heard me use the phrase “good to great” in Forbes Talks videos. That comes from Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t. That’s one of my favorite business reads, and it examines the powerful leadership techniques and marketing strategies that lead to gigantic financial returns for companies. Also, it explores when firms should pivot and why elite CEOs have long adopted the “we” over “me” mindset. Today, that’s a tricky thing to accomplish in a look-at-me society.

San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Buford recommended the book to me when I transitioned to business journalism from sports journalism in 2019. For me, that was a good-to-great career decision.

On Tuesday, I called Buford (in NBA circles, we just call him R.C.) to thank him again for the book tip and wish the Spurs luck and health this season. I’m not sure they need it. They're coming off a great era with Hall of Famers Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, which netted the team five NBA championships. After that, they flirted with continued greatness with Kawhi Leonard, hit a turbulent reset, and are now in a position to once again transition from good to great with basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama. Currently, the bet is that Wembanyama will be a global NBA superstar.

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During my years covering the team, head coach Gregg Popovich always preached good to great when commenting on basketball strategy. The way he explains it: Why settle for a good quick shot? Take the allowed time and seek out a great shot. The results usually favored the Spurs when they did that, and selfishly, turned into some great, quotable stuff for journalists covering the games. (No one likes being in the losers’ locker room.)

While Popovich stays busy instilling a good-to-great mindset in Wembanyama, Brandon James, a top Spurs executive, will be in Atlanta on our ForbesBLK Summit sports panel. So, expand your social capital from good to great, and seek him out. Maybe not a sexy name, but Brandon is someone you’ll want to know as the Spurs evolve.

See you November 6 at the ForbesBLK Summit. Here’s hoping it’ll be great.