Head coach Matt Nagy has said one of the biggest challenges of this unique offseason was keeping his Chicago Bears focused and motivated. Not easy to do with COVID-19 still out there and now protests spreading across the country over the George Floyd killing. To help his players handle this, he arranged to have a series of guest speakers meet with the team via Zoom where they’d make speeches and take questions. According to Nagy, the most popular was Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers.
That isn’t a huge surprise. In a time where black leadership is needed more than ever, Rivers would be an obvious voice. He’s one of the most successful head coaches in NBA history. He led the Boston Celtics to a championship in 2008 and ranks 12th all-time in wins. The man is well-respected not just in basketball circles but sports in general.
So when he got an opportunity to speak to the Bears, his favorite team? It was a no brainer. One of the first things he said was reminding them all how much they actually mean to the city of Chicago.
“Their history that they needed to know and I told them. The teams in Chicago like the Cubs, the Bears, the White Sox, the Bulls? It’s the Bears. Like the Bears are Chicago’s team. Period. And then all the other teams. I told them. You gotta understand that. Bears fans are for real and I talked to them about that.”
Doc Rivers imparted an amazing philosophy on life to the Bears
That obviously wasn’t the moment that was the most powerful. The actual speech he made was different and coming from a place of great heritage. One he’s learned a lot about in his life and has applied to his career. He explained what that was to Adam Schefter.
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“But you know what I talked to them most about was, it’s funny Adam, was this word ‘Ubuntu.’ It’s U-B-U-N-T-U. It’s hard to spell and say but it’s a sub-African philosophy, a way of life…Nelson Mandela basically brought it to the forefront. This word, this philosophy of life. It really changed South Africa and Africa in general. And the word means ‘A person is a person through other people.’
I can’t be all I am unless you’re all you are. I am because you are. I can never be threatened by how good you are because the better you are in the long run, the better I will be. And I told them when teams adopt this philosophy, they can let go of themselves and dive into their teammates and to each other. If you ever want to win, you have to give up something. You have to be willing to give up something. If you can live that as your lifeline as a team? You will win.”
That is some pretty amazing stuff. A good reminder that other cultures can help teach valuable lessons too. It’s little wonder so many players and coaches were buzzing after Rivers was finished. It was exactly the sort of message this team needed.