As a high school two-sport athlete in baseball and basketball, Pat Connaughton was not getting the attention from division one schools he desired--that is, until he began putting in the work.
In this episode, you will hear from Pat Connaughton, a current NBA player with the Milwaukee Bucks, and former Portland Trailblazer shooting guard on how he used an ultimatum from his dad in high school about whether to work construction or train from 9 am to 3 pm to grow his sports career in baseball and basketball.
You will also get insight into why Connaughton never limits himself to one area and why he’s watering the bamboo so he can build something much bigger and long-lasting that he as an individual.
Don’t miss this insightful conversation with Pat Connaughton, a Milwaukee Bucks shooting guard, and rising real estate mogul!
Episode Highlights:
00:45 - Pat’s Water the Bamboo story
02:41 - The ultimatum Pat’s father gave him his junior year in high school
03:55 - The loneliness of putting in the work behind the scene
09:19 - Why Pat created the With Us Foundation
13:52 - How Notre Dame has changed Pat’s life
16:03 - Pat reflecting on challenges along the way
19:42 - Pat’s real estate side hustle
28:05 - Where Pat learned to work on something bigger than himself
31:57 - Comparing Milwaukee to Portland
33:35 - Advice Pat would give to his 15-year-old self
35:45 - On losing in the NBA bubble when favored to win
38:32 - Participating in the 2020 dunk contest
Guest at a Glance
Pat Connaughton is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he primarily plays as a shooting guard.
Connaughton previously played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball and men's basketball teams. He was selected by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. The Brooklyn Nets selected him in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft and traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Notable Quotes
“My dad kind of gave me an ultimatum, he said, you can work for me on my construction sites, which I did in junior high school, or you can work in the gym and really dedicate yourself to basketball. If that's what you want, but it's going to have to be for the same hours that you would be working for me.”
“You can say, I want to be a professional athlete, but what are the actions behind the scenes that you're taking?”
“What are the things on a daily basis that you can continue to water and continue to get better at so that you can, can continue to grow?”
“Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. What you do with those 24 hours and how you work towards whatever it is you claim that you want to achieve is going to decide if you have the ability to accomplish that.”
“I want to make sure that I can use my platform to shed light on that to the next generation, in order to help them understand with hard work, with dedication, with a little bit of energy and effort there's nothing that's not attainable.”
“It was really important to give back because I didn't get here on my own. The coaches that I had, the people that surrounded me, my teammates, my mentors--they helped me get to where I am, and I realized it wasn't just me.”
“There's adversity throughout all areas of life, no matter who you are or what you do.”
“When your goals are lofty and they're high, there's always going to be reasons why people say you can't do it. The more times people say you can't do it, the more fuel to the fire it is for me.”
“My mom ingrained it in me as a kid. She always said, do your best, and don't limit yourself to one area. Make sure you do your best in every area.”
On having a family-like culture on his Portland and Milwaukee teams: “That's when I think you play your best, because you're not just playing for yourself on the team; you're playing for the guy next to you, who you don't just know him as the guy that can shoot three-pointers, you know, him as a guy who has a wife and three kids.”
“I want to do whatever I can to help make this guy next to me successful because of the time generosity and things that he's done for me.”
“You learn a lot more from losing than you do winning[…] when you win, you go about your business[…]when you lose, all of those areas become magnified.”
“It's never too late to start Watering the Bamboo.”
TRANSCRIPT
Greg Bell: [00:00:00] Today's guest, Pat Connaughton, is an NBA player with the Milwaukee Bucks and a former Portland Trailblazer. Pat is a unique individual in that he was a dual athlete at the division one level in college in baseball and basketball, and was drafted professionally in each sport. Pat was taught early on, never to limit himself in one area.
[00:00:22] So you're going to hear all about his bamboo story, where he has always had a desire to build something bigger than himself. I'm so excited to have you hear this discussion.
[00:00:33] Welcome to bamboo nation, Pat. It's great to have you.
[00:00:37] You're so unique, right. Everyone probably tells you that, but I mean, I don't know anybody that can jump 44 inches and throw a 96 mph fastball. Like there's nobody on the planet like you, right?
[00:00:46] Pat Connaughton: [00:00:46] Yeah, no, it's fun to have that, you know, since you came and visited us in Portland, I always kind of resonated with the Water the Bamboo metaphor and how that works.
[00:00:56] And for me, that's kinda how I got to where I am. With both basketball and baseball was I just watered a little bit on each of them every day and I loved it. And, you know, I was fortunate to have a little bit of God given ability and then really work as hard as I could on both of them and prioritize accordingly.
[00:01:15] And it's kind of cool to have that unique factor as an athlete, a dual sport athlete.
[00:01:22] Greg Bell: [00:01:22] It's interesting. I wanted you to tell that story a little bit. I know, I think it was your rookie season. I went down and talked to you and the blazers. I think it was your, I think your rookie year. But, go back a little bit because you basketball. I mean, here you are, you're in the league and basketball, wasn't your thing. I mean, you had like one offer, I think, like your sophomore year or something. Talk about what happened. I mean, tell your Water the Bamboo story.
[00:01:47] Pat Connaughton: [00:01:47] Yeah. You know, so for me, the big thing for me, it wasn't necessarily that a lot changed. It's just, I was fortunate to be able to be put in a position to perform and have an opportunity in front of people. So, going into my junior summer of high school. So in between my junior and senior year, I had one offer for basketball, it was a division-two school, Bentley university, back home. And I actually got that because I was able to go to nationals with my AAU team, Middlesex Magic, the summer previously.
[00:02:19] Aside from that, you know, I was a baseball guy. I played baseball starting in the spring, up until fall. And I played baseball basically all day, every day. And that was kinda my thing. But I always loved basketball and I always worked a little bit harder at basketball. And I always, you know, really tried to put myself in a position to get a basketball scholarship, but I hadn't been fortunate to do so up until that point.
[00:02:39] And so for me, it was about making sure that I had belief in myself, but that I took the time and I prioritized basketball that sophomore and junior year of high school in order to be able to perform, going into my junior summer. And, you know, it was a all day, every day affair, you know, in the summertime I literally spent 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the gym, working on my body, working on my athleticism, working on my skill, working on my conditioning, you know, me and my trainer Eric Kelly is from back home. We made sure that we you know, broke it up where my body was getting the rest it needed, but each and every day I was in there.
[00:03:19] And my dad kind of gave me an ultimatum, he said, you can work for me on my construction sites, which I did in junior high school, or you can work in the gym and really dedicate yourself to sports, to basketball, if that's what you want, but it's going to have to be for the same hours that you would be working for me. And so that's kind of how I came up with a plan and I saw, you know, significant improvement, it was just about strength, athleticism, those things that I knew I needed to improve on in order to get to the next level. And I took the time and dedication to make sure I did it. And when I got the opportunity to perform in front of, you know, division one coaches that junior summer, things kind of exploded and I was fortunate to come out of there with, you know, 15, 20, 25 division-one offers and the big differentiator for me at Notre Dame was not just willingness, but their desire for me to play two sports and that's kind of something I've always wanted. I had always wanted to do since I was a kid.
[00:04:10] Greg Bell: [00:04:10] Wow. That's really cool. I'm thinking about your dad giving you the ultimatum and to work in construction, like, I think I would pick the gym too.
[00:04:20] Pat Connaughton: [00:04:20] Yeah, you can haul lumber up and down those stairs at my job sites, you can clean up the stuff and throw it in the dumpster, or you can go through a rigorous strength and conditioning program.
[00:04:30] And I chose the latter.
[00:04:32] Greg Bell: [00:04:32] Yeah. Well, you know, it's interesting to me though, that is a true Water the Bamboo story. Here you are, I mean, in the gym you're watering, you're working and there's probably no one in there, but you and your trainer I imagine. Like no one watches the watering. That's, you know, with the audience that sort of listens to this, it's going to be, you know, business folks and athletes and so on, but one of the things about watering in that kind of work it's usually pretty lonely. And you know, obviously the crowds there when you're, when you're playing your sports but when you're practicing and working out, it's a pretty lonely spot. Talk to us a little bit, other than your dad's ultimatum, but just think about like everyone else listening to this, how do you sustain your motivation to keep going? You know, you've been in the league now for a few years and how do you keep it going though on it being that disciplined?
[00:05:22] Pat Connaughton: [00:05:22] Yeah. You know, I think personally, I think you got to find something within the watering where the watering becomes the bamboo, if you will, for you. Now for the rest of the world, and for us as professional athletes, obviously, the bamboo is the performance in games, but you got to find a way to motivate yourself and make yourself understand that the watering is what brings about the bamboo. So in your world, that process, that watering has to be the bamboo or be treated as the bamboo. And so for me, you know, you're right for a lot of the gym sessions at 9:00 AM in the summertime at my trainer's gym, there's a lot of kids in there, but the kids are just, they're trying to get through that hour.
[00:06:05] So they're there nine to 10 am. All of a sudden I see them come in, I see them leave. I'm still there obviously than 10 am to 11 am group comes in. They're just trying to get in their hour and get the hell out as quick as they can and the 11 am group comes in and they're out of there. And what people didn't see was, you know, I was there from nine to three, and by noon, by one o'clock, no one else comes into the gym they're all out doing what they do in the summer, going to the beach, hanging out with friends, whatever it is, and you have to be disciplined. You have to prioritize.
[00:06:32] I talked to, you know, I have a foundation. I mentor a lot of young kids, junior high, high school kids. And the one thing I say to him is you can have these goals, you can have these aspirations, but your priorities of actions are going to speak to what your true goals and true aspirations are. You can say, I want to be a professional athlete, but what are the actions behind the scenes that you're taking? What are the priorities that you're taking in order to try to make that happen. And sometimes you gotta sacrifice, you can't hang around with friends, you gotta make sure you either get to bed on time or you're in the gym later, or you're doing things that are really going to help you accomplish the goals that you say you have.
[00:07:08] And that speaks, you know, obviously in perfect synergy with Watering the Bamboo, it's an everyday process. And it's something that we still strive for as pro athletes. Like no one is a robot. No, one's a machine. So, on a daily basis, you want to try to just improve a little bit every single day. What am I doing today that's going to make me a little bit better for tomorrow.? It's not going to be the same thing. You know, in the gym one day I'm lifting on my legs and I'm working on my lower body strength. The next day I'm working on my upper body strength. The next day, it might be core strength with some conditioning or explosiveness or plyometrics, like , you got to take a holistic approach in order to be the best you can be. But you have to look yourself in the mirror and say, what are the things I need to work on?
[00:07:51] You don't want it like, the one thing that I've seen young kids struggle with is, well, they dribble really well with their right hand, because they're right-handed. Well, do you spend time on your left? No, because I'm bad at it. Well, what's going to make you better is by working on those deficiencies and it's not gonna come overnight, but offense is only as strong as its weakest link. And so as a human being, I believe like it's really important to look yourself in the mirror and be able to say, Hey I don't get to bed on time. I'm up until two in the morning, every single night. Well, that's going to have a negative effect on your next day's workout or your next days you know, work or goals or accomplishments or things that you're doing, the actions that you're taking in order to try to accomplish those goals. So what are the things on a daily basis that you can continue to water and continue to get better at so that you can, can continue to grow?
[00:08:42] Greg Bell: [00:08:42] Yeah, that's, that's really good advice. I mean, just to think about that. One of the things I always try to remind people, they have a 168 hours a week, and how you use them are going to determine your future.
[00:08:53] Pat Connaughton: [00:08:53] Well, that's a great point. Like what I say to kids all the time is: look, there are definitely some differences, like I couldn't control myself being 6' 5", so there are definitely some things that you're born with and not born with. But that's just the start. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. What you do with those 24 hours and how you work towards whatever it is you claim that you want to achieve is going to decide if you have the ability to accomplish that.
[00:09:18] And the young kids, the little kids that come to my camp, I like to say to them, it's about accountability, discipline. Do you make your bed every morning or does your mom come in after you leave for school because you woke up five minutes late and you were rushing and she makes your bed? Like something as simple as that. Like, if you can't get up five minutes earlier to make sure that you made your bed and you accomplish that one goal that's so easy and everyone can do it, how do you expect to accomplish a goal of dunking a basketball, or how do you expect to make sure that you prioritize the discipline's going to take to work on your strength and explosiveness in order to then dunk a basketball.
[00:09:56] Greg Bell: [00:09:56] That's such a good lesson though. I like how you just break it down to that small accomplishment, like making your bed. I mean, adults can use what you're saying, I mean, not just the kids, but I want you to tell us about your, With Us Foundation. I mean, I've seen a lot of things online. You, created a new gym and done some really cool things for kids. Well, talk about the foundation, but I want to know why, I mean, why don't you just go ahead and just play ball and forget that? Why, why are you doing that?
[00:10:23] Pat Connaughton: [00:10:23] The foundation itself called With Us Foundation. I started it right after my rookie year of 2016. And the mission of the foundation is to create access to athletics for kids, teaching them the translatable life skills, hard work, leadership, teamwork that translates to other areas aside from just the athletic surface, right? So the reason that's important to me, I want to create a foundation that was organic to me.
[00:10:44] I feel like I want to have an effect on the next generation through something that's organic and passionate to me. And sports have done a lot for me. I found a vehicle, being sports, that has helped me do things, quite frankly, I have no business doing, you know what I mean? Like, and I want to make sure that I can use my platform to shed light on that to the next generation, in order to help them understand with hard work, with dedication, with a little bit of energy and effort there's nothing that's not attainable.
[00:11:12] You know, I wasn't tied to professional sports. My mom, my dad, my cousin, my uncle, no one was a professional athlete and really no one even played college athletics. I just fell in love with it from a very, very young age-- two to three years old. And. I had a dream, I had something that I wanted to accomplish and it was up to me to try to figure out how to do it.
[00:11:30] But I have seen so many people throughout my growth kind of give up on their dream. So I wanted to start something that could help show the next generation that, through sports, it's not just about becoming a professional athlete, but it's about those skills that are harnessed on a playing surface, the teamwork, like I said, the hard work, the leadership, the dedication, the things that you have to do in order to be a part of a team in athletics, translate into business, into philanthropy, into all different areas of life. And it helped me get into Notre Dame. It helped me learn business at Notre Dame. It helped me start a real estate company that I'm passionate about. It helped me do things away from sports, and it's also helped so many people get into a division three college that they may not have otherwise be able to get into and graduated from a very academically challenging division two, three, one, whatever it is, school that has catapulted them into careers that they wouldn't have if it wasn't for those types of lessons that sports teach us.
[00:12:29] And so for me, it was really important to give back, because I didn't get here on my own. You know what I mean? Like the coaches that I had, the people that surrounded me, my teammates, my mentors, they helped me get to where I am and I realized it wasn't just me.
[00:12:43] Like I had to do the work, I had to put in the work, the time, energy, effort. I had to be in the gym from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM so I didn't have to be on my dad's job site every damn day. But, I wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for my trainer, Eric, if it wasn't for my AAU coach, Mike Crotty, it wasn't for my little league coach, Paul Staten.
[00:13:00] Like there are so many... Tim Graham... there are so many different people that truly helped me get to where I am, across my journey, and so I wanted to create a platform that did that for kids. And so we started doing camps and clinics. We did those for two or three years, and then I came to the realization I can't run a camp and clinic every day of the year. Kids loved it, but it only works for a week or two weeks, or however many times I can do it in the summer. So then we started to partner with different organizations. I grew up with this place called Fidelity House, where it was an afterschool place, but it had a gym and it's basically taught everything that I'm saying for my foundation. So can we partner with places like that that don't have the ability to afford a gym, but if we can grant them that ability, the programming and the things that they'll utilize that gym for on a 365 day basis, and I'll be able to stop by in the summer, I'll be able to run a camp or a clinic there in the summer, but they will use it and they will have a daily effect on kids that are trying to do the things I was able to do.
[00:13:57] Greg Bell: [00:13:57] Man! That is so like, I get goosebumps when you talk about that. That is so cool. I think about like the boys clubs when I was a kid and, and all that, you talk about your dad, my dad was my first coach and that. What I call this as a Bamboo Circle, like there's a you know, giant timber bamboo grows 90 feet and 60 days, but it's really about the roots. And some of the people you're talking about are your roots, your father, your parents, all those are those deep roots. So when you do grow, you stay strong. I think that's really, really cool.
[00:14:29] And then I imagine you're still connected to Notre Dame. You probably went back to the game and saw them win. That's part of your root system too, right?
[00:14:40] Pat Connaughton: [00:14:40] Yeah. So for me, I was lucky. From the town I grew up in and the passion they had around athletics, but also around academics and being more than just an athlete.
[00:14:50] So the high school that I went to 25 minutes away that had a high academic standard, who had great athletics, but it was about growing as a young man. It was an all boys school. And then to college and Notre Dame just took it to another level, but there were steps along the way. And Notre Dame was kind of that final step.
[00:15:07] And for me, the things that Notre Dame taught me as a young man becoming what Notre Dame likes to call a Notre Dame man or Notre Dame student, a Notre Dame alum, whatever you want to call it. It was obvious that I made the right decision to go there, but because of what they preach, the four for 40.
[00:15:27] It's a four year decision, but it'll affect 40 years of your life. And the big thing that Notre Dame has really helped me with is just, again, being more than an athlete, but that sense of community, and again, those mentors, the people that want to give back to Notre Dame because of what Notre Dame did for them.
[00:15:44] And those are things that I'm trying to do as a young 27 year old. But I've benefited from the, you know, Notre Dame real estate guys, the Notre Dame professional athletes before me, and just talking to them, picking their brain and really getting to know them has helped me come so far in such a fast time, that I think, you know, Notre Dame really breeds that sense of coming back to the campus. It's about the community, it's about not just the students on campus, but the alumni that they've obviously grown throughout the years. And so it's, it's, it's a special place and it's a place where if I hadn't gone there, I don't know if I'd be where I am today.
[00:16:22] Greg Bell: [00:16:22] Right. That's that's pretty cool. I love how you talk about that. One of the things I think about though, a lot of this seems like super easy. Oh, Pat, that's all I got to do is set my goals and then go for them. Is that what you're saying? But even your path, isn't all linear, right? There's hiccups and challenges.
[00:16:41] And one of the chapters in the book, I call it it's Messy in the Garden. Can you speak to that a little bit? Like, because I think that sometimes even kids think, Oh, I just do this and do this, but I mean, there are definitely challenges along the way. Talk a little bit about some challenges you face in athletics. Maybe some of the decisions you have had to make and choices you had to do. Talk a little bit about that.
[00:17:03] Pat Connaughton: [00:17:03] Yeah, of course know. One of the things I talked about within the foundation a lot is adversity. You know, there's adversity throughout all areas of life, no matter who you are or what you do. To your point, it's messy in the garden, there's always adversity.
[00:17:18] And so it happened to me a ton. Like I said, I had no ties to professional sports. For me it was a pipe dream, and probably since the day I started to hope and dream that I could be a professional athlete was the day that everyone told me I wouldn't be able to do it. When I was in sixth grade. I was the best baseball player in my town, and I got cut from about two all-star teams when I was in eighth grade and I had developed, and I got better. I made an all-star team, but I was told I wasn't good enough to pitch. Well, guess what? I got drafted as a pitcher.
[00:17:48] So like, it's one of those things where I vividly remember when I was in high school and I had already committed to Notre Dame, it was my senior year and it was baseball season. School was already over. I remember standing in the parking lot after one of my baseball games, because one of the faculty at my high school wanted to introduce me to this guy whose son was a professional baseball player. He was in town because they were playing the Red Sox.
[00:18:10] And I stood in that parking lot. And for 45 minutes, listen to this guy telling me that if I don't choose one of the sports I won't be able to go pro in either of them because I'll be no sacrificing one over the other. And if I choose both, I'll be sacrificing both of them and I'll never amount to what I want to amount to.
[00:18:25] And it was 45 minutes, I stood there, I smiled, I asked questions, I played devil's advocate a little bit. And then I went to Notre Dame and I ended up getting drafted in two sports and I had the opportunity to be a professional athlete in two sports. Like, there's always adversity. And when your goals are lofty and they're high, there's always going to be reasons why people say you can't do it. The more times people say you can't do it, the more fuel to the fire it is for me. And I think it's all about perspective, right? Like you said, it's messy in the garden. Well, the garden can still be beautiful, but if you just look at the mess you're going to think Oh, that garden's not really that beautiful, but if you can either A) ignore the mess or B) focus on fixing the mess or focus on using the mess as inspiration in order to make the garden as beautiful as you can, then you'll be able to achieve what you want to achieve, it's just going to take some hard work, it's going to take some dedication. It's not going to be easy, or everybody would do it. There's only 450 guys in the NBA. There's only, you know, I think 400 draft picks a year in baseball. Like it's not going to be easy, but it's going to be worth it at the end of the day. You just don't want to let that adversity strike down your enthusiasm about trying to accomplish what you want to accomplish
[00:19:44] Greg Bell: [00:19:44] Sure, I mean, I can imagine just sort of hearing the naysayers. I mean, that just, I get to sort of see somebody starting to try a business or do something like that, there's people really close to them tell him why it won't work. They're putting their fears on you.
[00:19:59] One of the things I always tell people is to tell when people start doing that to you, just tell them to mind their own bamboo.
[00:20:06] Pat Connaughton: [00:20:06] That's a great way to put it. That's a great way to put it. See if their bamboo has a strong roots as yours.
[00:20:12] Greg Bell: [00:20:12] And so that's really, that's really cool. So I want, I'm just so curious about you. Like, there are so many things I could ask you, but this one I'm really curious about. Tell us a little bit about your real estate side hustle, because I read about that and I thought, wait a minute, here's this guy's a millionaire in the league, he's kind of going along and, you know, you hear all the stories about guys in the league that lose all their money. But you kind of started your own real estate empire it sounds like. And I just found that very curious about how and why, and what's the bamboo there.
[00:20:44] Pat Connaughton: [00:20:44] For sure. So for me, I've always had, I've always had this mindset, you know, my mom kind of ingrained it in me as a kid. She always said, like, do your best, and don't limit yourself to one area. Make sure you do your best in every area. And so. For me, my parents. I mean they expected a lot out of me. If I didn't get the grades that they thought I should get, then I wasn't allowed to play sports. So they, for them, it was always academics over athletics.
[00:21:11] And for me, it was always athletics over academics, but I knew I had to have the academics in order to achieve the athletics. So from a young age it was always do your best and don't limit it to one area, and as I got older and as I went to places like my high school St. John's Prep, where they focused on community, they focused on volunteering, like my foundation has, and they focused on, you know, life away from sports as much as sports, I started to just kind of see, look being a professional athlete is my dream, and I'm putting everything in my ability in order to accomplish that. But, you also gotta be smart. And you also want to find ways that even if you are a pro athlete, the best professional athletes, the Dirk Nowitzki, the Kobe Bryants, the people that have been in the NBA for 20 some odd years, they're done by the age of 40. And God willing, you still got 40 years, 50 years to live.
[00:22:07] So what are things that you enjoy outside of athletics? And for me personally, I mentioned my dad was a general contractor. So I worked on his job sites in junior high and beginning of high school. And I saw it firsthand. I didn't see it in a glamorous way. I wasn't the one putting deals together, or going from job to job, telling guys what to do, I was the one cleaning up the job sites and hauling the lumber up the stairs. But I got to see a firsthand look at it. And what I didn't realize was it kind of started to build a foundation, no pun intended when it comes to real estate, as to something I was interested in outside of sports. And as I got to Notre Dame, I learned a lot about business and business management, and just the idea of, Hey, again, if you become a pro athlete, great, but regardless of if you do or don't, there's going to be a time when sports are over, what are some things that you were passionate about outside of sports? What are some things that you can invest your money in that you have a passion for, and also have a knowledge of? And so for me, that was real estate. And again, I was fortunate to be drafted in baseball after my junior year, I was fortunate to be able to receive a signing bonus, and my dad, as a general contractor, he had flipped a few homes when I was in high school, on the side, because you obviously want it to make money for my family, for our livelihood.
[00:23:19] And so I approached him about it and. We flipped a home at Notre Dame my junior summer. And I lived in it my senior year and we sold it after my senior year and we made 35 grand and I got to see from a different perspective what real estate was like. And when I was fortunate to get drafted after my senior year in basketball. I knew I had a two year guaranteed contract with a potential of a third, and I knew I wanted to...I didn't know how long pro sports was going to last. I was a second round pick. So I wanted to make sure I got involved, again, not deprioritizing the professional sports realm, but just secondarily prioritizing something outside of sports that I could do in my downtime on plane rides and it's all about time management. And so for me, I flipped a few homes when I was in Portland and I started to see, I started to gain some mentors outside of just my father in the real estate realm, through Notre Dame, through connections that I met in Portland, because as a professional athlete, we're fortunate to be in a situation where for some reason, people want to know who we are.
[00:24:15] So you've got to take advantage and ask questions and show interest and try to create a group of mentors. And so I just started to see, you know, my dad flipped homes because it was a way of providing for my family. I'm fortunate to have a day job in professional sports. So the risks that come with the market on flipping homes and things of that nature, the extra 30, 40, 50, a hundred grand wasn't worth the risk. So how can I pivot in real estate and build something longer-term. And for me, that was from what I learned from mentors was creating a cash flowing portfolio that when I'm done playing will continue to produce cash. So finding multi-family buildings or mixed use buildings. Working with my dad, which I've been very fortunate to do, where he has the background of renovation and building from the ground up with buildings, with homes, with really any type of real estate, because that's what he did. And lastly, it was, I was going to do this with my own money, regardless. For me I had pleasure in being able to figure something out on the business world while I was playing professional sports, that was going to help benefit me personally later on in life. But what I saw was a lot of people in the NBA, a lot of my peers, were interested in it as well, and they didn't have the background that I had in it.
[00:25:35] But when it comes to professional athletes, when you were approached by businessmen, there's a little bit of an inherent distrust because of the horror stories and coming from a different perspective and there was a lot of interest in some of the guys wanting to get involved with me.
[00:25:48] So I tried to take it a step further and, you know, we got probably 15, 20 guys in the league and baseball and basketball that I've invested into some of my real estate projects. And for me, the coolest part about that, sure, the business behind it, trying to make money to try to help these guys create generational wealth for when they're done playing. Absolutely is awesome. But for me, it's more about the guys who I let in are guys who are like genuinely interested in this. So to see them come to the job sites, to get dinner with them nights before games and explain to them how we're structuring it, why we're structuring it that way. So they have some education and the ability to stand on their own two feet if they want to build a house, or if they want to go create their own portfolio someday has been the most exciting and the most satisfying part of it. Because I do believe, to your point, there are an ungodly amount of guys that go broke when they're done playing. And there's no reason for that to happen. And so if I can have just a little bit of an effect on a handful of guys that I have relationships with to try to prevent that and to try to help them understand, Hey, we've won the lottery once. We're fortunate to be professional athletes, we're getting paid very handsomely for something we love to do.
[00:27:01] Let's take it a step further, take advantage of that, be smart. And have your fun, do what you do with your money, but take some of it, put it aside, try to put it into places that at least if you want to be involved with me or if you want to be on your own, it doesn't matter in where you put it, but put it into things that can help benefit you down the line, will help your kids, your kids' kids, and really take advantage of the opportunity that we have as pro athletes.
[00:27:26]Ad: [00:27:26] And now for a quick break, with a message from Greg's team. Let's work together on a customized virtual event. Greg's keynotes are now available in a virtual format. And Greg and his team are ready to get to work on your next virtual event.
[00:27:44] With updated stories, humor, a charismatic style, audience interaction, and unique elements based on his two popular books, What's Going Well? The Question That Changes Everything and Water the Bamboo: Unleashing the Potential of Teams and Individuals, Greg's virtual keynote sessions are highly engaging and guaranteed to be much more than just a traditional keynote talk delivered online.
[00:28:09] Greg Bell and his team will partner with you to bring a unique and engaging customized virtual experience for your organization. To learn more about Greg's virtual keynotes, visit gregbellspeaks.com to learn more. Now, back to the show.
[00:28:24]Greg Bell: [00:28:24] I had this word for you. I say when I think of Pat, what do I think of? I think athlete now I don't. Scrath that, I'm taking away your athleticism.
[00:28:33] Pat Connaughton: [00:28:33] Ha ha ha ha!
[00:28:34] Greg Bell: [00:28:34] Think your word is generosity. I just sort of, it's very interesting. Because you're trying to pass that knowledge on to the kids with your With Us Foundation.
[00:28:42] I think that's like remarkable, like using your athletics and your status to help other people. And then, collaborating with professional athletes to help them build generational wealth, not just to make money, like you said, but just that relationship piece. That is just fascinating because it becomes bigger than you, obviously, all these things you're talking about are bigger than you.
[00:29:06] Where does that generate from? Does that generate from your family or is that your mom do your best work? Where's that, that part, that generosity coming from? It's pretty fascinating.
[00:29:17] Pat Connaughton: [00:29:17] That's a great question. I think I've always had the sense of family, like one of the acronyms I always use is FOE, family over everything.
[00:29:27] But to me, it's like family, the definition of family isn't just blood related. Yeah, for me, family is those who you're closest with for many different reasons. It's not just blood that makes you family, in my opinion. And I grew up around a big family. My mom was the youngest of 10. My dad was the second youngest of eight.
[00:29:47] So I grew up around a lot of people and I saw family done right as a young kid and just stuck everyone stuck together. And it was really cool to see and really awesome for me to be able to experience. But I was an only child. So on a daily basis, my friends, my best friends from my hometown when I went to my high school, twenty-five minutes away and I didn't know anybody, my best friends from there, like they were family to me, they were brothers to me, sisters to me. So I'm still best friends with them to this day. And the real estate company, my best friend, since I was two years old from Arlington Mass, Joe Stanton, you know, he works for me there and he does a great job. And empowering him to have his own career and to build something that he's generally interested in. If I, and I've been fortunate to be able to kind of help supply that for him, and he helps me grow a business that I wouldn't be able to grow as well without them, because I do have a day job, right. So he works on it daily. And then, you know, just making sure that, that idea of family over everything you, you want to look after the people around you.
[00:30:51] And I've always said this about athletics when it comes to professional versus college. College athletics has more of a family feel because you're around these guys, 24/7, it's at a time in your life where you're between the ages of 18 and 22, you're developing friendships, you're living on the same campus, you're doing things outside of basketball that bring you closer together, as friends, as family. When it comes to pro sports, some guys are 20, some guys are 35, some guys have wife and kids, some guys get traded, like there's a business behind it. So it's tougher to have that family feel. And so I've seen, the best teams that I've been on, you know, Portland and Milwaukee, the reason that there is success is because there is a family feel. Guys take the time to get to know each other outside of basketball, on road trips, we go to dinners. You know, guys on a personal level, you know, guys, as, as more family-like. And that's when I think you play your best, because you're not just playing for yourself on the team; you're playing for the guy next to you, who you don't just know him as the guy that can shoot three pointers, you know, him as a guy who has a wife and three kids, and you were over there with his wife and kids, you know, looking after the kids and playing with the kids and having those types of moments that will make you go the extra mile for the person to your right or the person to your left.
[00:32:11] And I look at, you know, business and my foundation and everything like that very similarly. I want people around me that I enjoy being around because they also think of me as family, as I think of them as family. And I want to do things to kind of help my family. And like I said, family, isn't just blood.
[00:32:29] So, at some point in time I'm going to have a lot of family members I'm going to have to invite to Christmas.
[00:32:34] Greg Bell: [00:32:34] Well, that's great, cause I talked to coach Stotts, I interviewed him. And yours is one of the names he mentioned in terms of like proud of your work and that. So it kind of makes sense that the leadership with the Blazers, the vets, really kind of took you in, it sounds like. And then now that you're in Milwaukee, how is it there for you? Is it the similar feel to it?
[00:32:59] Pat Connaughton: [00:32:59] Yeah, it's very similar. I think Milwaukee does an unbelievable job from the top down, like ownership to management, to coaches, to players, like, they're very good at harnessing that family like feel, you know what I mean?
[00:33:15] Like they want to get to know you on a personal level. And the owners, you know, they ask about your family. I mean, one of our owners, when we were in Paris at a game this year, I was sitting in the lobby with my parents. He came and sat and chatted with us for 45 minutes. And like for my parents, that's incredible because here's an owner of the team, here's a guy worth multi-billions of dollars, he's taken the time to get to know them and I'm not Giannis, I'm not Chris Middleton. You know, I'm a player on the team, but I'm not one of the top guys on the team, the MVP of the league. So those types of interactions, and the GM getting to know you and wanting to play golf with you and doing things outside of basketball, I think it's like, you know, like you're Watering the Bamboo in different areas and you're creating that culture of family of business of I want to do whatever I can to help make this guy next to me successful because of the time generosity and things that he's done for me.
[00:34:12]Greg Bell: [00:34:12] You've had so much success in business and in athletics and that this might be a tough question for you, but what advice would you give your 15 year old self, you know, you're 14, 15 years old. What advice would you give yourself?
[00:34:25] Pat Connaughton: [00:34:25] Strap in, you're going to have to remember a lot of names.
[00:34:30] I would say 14, 15 year-old myself. It was my eighth grade year back home and my freshman year at a new high school. And I would have just told myself at an earlier age, make sure there's unwavering belief in your ability to accomplish what you want to accomplish.
[00:34:49] Like, think sometimes, especially as a kid that didn't grow up around pro sports, it looked like this far off different brand of basketball that no one had ever played before. It didn't look like just basketball or it didn't look like just baseball or whatever it was. And as you climb, as I go from my hometown where I'm comfortable and I'm playing with my friends and I know I'm one of the best athletes, and I know I can be the guy that helps us win games. To going into a high school where I didn't know anybody and there's 1300 boys and I didn't know if I was going to make varsity my freshman year. And I didn't make varsity my freshman year for the first few games. And then I got brought up and just trying to make sure I didn't step on toes. And I did things the right way.
[00:35:33] I think that helps me from a business standpoint, but I think from an athletic standpoint, there has to be that unwavering, confidence and belief in yourself that you belong and that you can have an impact at each level you go. And I think that is something I would say to my 14 and 15 year old self who was, I think it would have provided a little more confidence at the first step of each stop.
[00:35:57] So the freshman year at St. John's Prep, my freshman year at Notre Dame, they didn't go poorly by any means, but like, I think just making sure that there's a little bit more edge and you're a little bit more assertive when it comes to what your goals and beliefs are, because you don't want to step on the senior's toes.
[00:36:14] And again, it's important from a team chemistry standpoint, but there's ways to do it and still be a team player.
[00:36:23] Greg Bell: [00:36:23] I got to sore subjects to bring up with you. One is the bubble, like you're in the bubble and we're all going, come on Milwaukee. You know, I thought, Oh my God, this is going to be so fun.
[00:36:34] I watched it, you know, watch you guys play and just, you know, the audience listening. I mean, obviously you've had losses, you know, you don't win every game, but how do you overcome that? Like, not just from the team perspective, but the folks listening, like how do you overcome a disappointment? I mean, you were the number one seed we fall out, now, how do you get back on the horse?
[00:36:54] Pat Connaughton: [00:36:54] Yeah, I mean, I think it, it goes back to a line my father used to say to me, and it's unfortunate because no one wants it to be this way, but it's true. You learn a lot more from losing than you do winning. When you win, you go about your business. Sometimes you only don't watch film. Like, Hey, we won the game, we did our job, right. You don't always critique yourself on where, on areas that you can continue to get better. When you lose, all of those areas become magnified. And that's when you really start to try to critique yourself. And I think it's being able to look back and look at the hard truths. You know what I mean?
[00:37:30] Like in the bubble, why did we lose? Can we look at those and can we be unbiased and can we make sure that we put team above self in all aspects and look at, like I said a little bit earlier in this, look yourself in the mirror and be like, where are areas that I have to improve on? What are things that I have to do in order to make sure that I'm going to help put my team in the best position to win, help, put my teammates in the best position to perform the way that they best perform. And that's what the bubble kind of brought up. You know, a lot of times in professional basketball, especially in playoffs, you can get away with a lot of things because of adrenaline, you have a playoff game, you have 18,000 fans yelling and screaming at the Pfizer forum. You're going crazy. They're going crazy. And sheer adrenaline is going to will you to do some things that will help you win. In the bubble, there isn't that. There's not 17,000 fans, right? So you have to find a way to will yourself. And that's where that inner drive and that inner accountability and all those things are going to show the most. As well as obviously the areas where you need to improve on, because those are going to be exploited at a high, high level.
[00:38:39] So for us, I think it's about making sure that we look back on it. We don't shy away from the loss. We don't shy away from what we did. We don't ignore it and say, Oh, it was a bubble and it was extenuating circumstances and that's never going to happen again, so let's forget it. You got to look it in the eye and you've got to be like, all right, this is what went wrong. This is what we need to improve on. And that's the job that you got to do moving into next season.
[00:39:01] Greg Bell: [00:39:01] Right? I liked that lessons that your dad talks about. You learn more from losing, you know, who wants to lose, but that's true, right.
[00:39:09] Pat Connaughton: [00:39:09] A hundred percent.
[00:39:09] Greg Bell: [00:39:09] Yeah. The other thing is , this is a sore subject for me, because I think you're one of the best in-game dunkers ever, I love it. I just love watching it. It's like you know, just the tip dunks and down the lane. I was just like, Whoa! And then the dunk contest, right. They give you, what you think, third? It was the judges, right?
[00:39:31] Pat Connaughton: [00:39:31] Yeah. I mean, look, growing up, Dwayne. Wade was one of my favorite players. I don't even know who Dwayne Wade is anymore. (laughing)
[00:39:43]No, the dunk contest for me. Being a part of that, like that was probably...so I didn't tell a story, but like, when I was in sixth grade, I read a sports illustrated for kids article on Vince Carter and how he was able to dunk by eighth grade. And in sixth grade, I was kind of a short, chubby kid. I won't show pictures of that publicly, but I was definitely a short chubby kid.
[00:40:07] Greg Bell: [00:40:07] I got to see pictures!
[00:40:09] Pat Connaughton: [00:40:09] Yeah. And so seventh grade I did, I definitely grew a little bit, but when I was in sixth grade, I said, I want to be able to dunk. My dad, bought me a weight vest, and he said kind of like what I preach to the kids, like if you use this on a consistent basis and you, we had a ledge in our backyard, you jump up and down the ledge, you lower the hoop and you try to dunk with the weight vest on, you raise the hoop, you try to dunk with it off. He's like, if you work with this weight vest, you'll be able to accomplish it, but over the next two years is going to show how much work you put in. If you can dunk by eighth grade, great.
[00:40:39] And now look, I'm sure if you asked my dad today, he might even say to you, I don't think there was any way in hell he was going to be able to dunk by eighth grade, right. But for me, in eighth grade, spring of my eighth grade year, right after basketball season, at the beginning of AAU season, during baseball season, I had my first dunk.
[00:40:54] And so, as a, from the age of 12 to 14 , like at that age, being able to see something that seems so far fetched, but having consistent and been accountable and making sure I did my work every day, every other day. And I did the things that I thought I needed to do in order to help myself dunk, and then actually being able to dunk, it really opened my eyes to how much can be accomplished with a little bit of time, energy, effort, priorities, accountability, all those principles that I talk about via my foundation. And I just, I think at a young age, like, I watched all the dunk contests, I was fascinated and infatuated with trying to be able to dunk. To then being at center court, being handed the ball, to in Chicago during all star weekend to take part in the dunk contest, I mean, it was crazy. There was no, there's no reason I should ever have been able to do it, but it was just, it was really cool to be a part of. Sure I would have liked to go on, I would've liked to win, I would've liked to have made the finals. But to be a part of it. And,I mean, my teammate, my good buddy, Giannis, he said it best, he was like, That was the best on contest in the NBA history, or at least one of. And I was able to record a 50 in it.
[00:42:17] Greg Bell: [00:42:17] I love that you, you jumped over it Giannis, right? I jumped over...so that was the other thing, I wanted to incorporate my friends, my family, something for the city of Milwaukee to be proud of.
[00:42:28] Pat Connaughton: [00:42:28] So I jumped over Christian Yelich, who was the MVP of baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers and Giannis Antetokounmpo who was the MVP of basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks. And I thought it was a great thing, I thought I was going to be awesome. What I didn't realize was there were a few owners and GMs sweating behind the scenes. Like, you're really going to pick the two MVPs of our city to jump over? Like you better be able to clear them.
[00:42:51] Greg Bell: [00:42:51] That was awesome. This has been really fun. I just appreciate you jumping on and sharing your wisdom. I just, my, my final question though, is do you have anything you want to share with bamboo nation? Anything at all? For the folks listening, just from...
[00:43:04] Pat Connaughton: [00:43:04] I mean, the big thing I would say is, look, I mean, you and I, we met my rookie year. You know what I mean? There was no preconceived notion on who you were, who I was, it was just kind of organic. And when you came and spoke to us about Water than Bamboo and the philosophy and the principles behind it, I got it right away. I understood it right away. It was like, Hey, this is what I've been living, I just didn't have a cool way to put it, you know, like you do. And I think, for the people listening, they should, they should really take that seriously. You know what I mean? Like it's never too late to start Watering the Bamboo. I think one thing that I get questions on, even from kids in my camp is like, yeah, well, you started using your left hand when you were in second grade and you started doing certain things on early age, I'm a ninth grader. Like I can't, I can't make up all that lost time. And that's not true, like, there are 24 hours in a day, but it's all about starting. Like that's the hardest part, starting. And everyone's goals and aspirations are going to be different. We have kids that come to my camp, wanting to be doctors, lawyers, and I can't help them become a doctor or a lawyer, but I can help them put some principles in place that if they build a foundation off that accountability hard work, the things that we talk about and the things that Water the Bamboo is about, they're going to put themselves in a position to accomplish that because they're going to basically utilize it just for something different than athletics, but it, it transfers to all areas of life, all, you know, professional and career goals. And I think what you're doing with Water the Bamboo and the message you're spreading, I think if people take it seriously and people really listen to the specifics and the details and you don't just listen to some and ignore some it's a lifestyle. You have to do it on a daily basis you have to do it every day. You might have to do it twice a day, but if you care that deeply about it, the results will show. And you'll grow 90 feet.
[00:45:04] Greg Bell: [00:45:04] Absolutely. That's a really good message. So we'll do the Water the Bamboo oath, and I'll let you get on with your day, your watering. So I got my band on, so you can raise your right hand. You got to do the oath with me.
[00:45:15] So no matter what challenges come my way.
[00:45:18] Pat Connaughton: [00:45:18] No matter what challenges come my way,
[00:45:20] Greg Bell: [00:45:20] I will,
[00:45:21] Pat Connaughton: [00:45:21] I will
[00:45:21] Greg Bell: [00:45:21] continue to Water the Bamboo,
[00:45:23] Pat Connaughton: [00:45:23] continue to Water the Bamboo.
[00:45:25] Greg Bell: [00:45:25] Thank you so much, man. I feel so blessed having you on. I really just appreciate what you're doing out there. Your foundation sounds amazing and just, it's fun to watch your career grow and you guys are getting back after it in December, huh?
[00:45:39] Pat Connaughton: [00:45:39] We are. Quick turnaround, but it's what we do. It's what we love so we're excited for it.
[00:45:43]Greg Bell: [00:45:43] Pat said it best when he said it's never too late to start Watering the Bamboo. I couldn't agree more. I hope you've enjoyed Pat's story. Again, make sure you subscribe to the Water the Bamboo podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. So you can hear from many others just like Pat, who have spent years Watering their Bamboo until next time, I'm Greg Bell keep watering.