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147. Sam Merrill on Confidence, Work, and Being a Great Teammate
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This week’s episode features NBA player and Utah State legend Sam Merrill. His journey—from quiet gym hours to big-stage moments—reminds us that greatness grows from daily choices. Sam’s counsel hits three Especially for Athletes principles head-on: Be Resilient, Win the Hour, and Seek to Bless, Not to Impress. Here are a few highlights to discuss with your team or family—and a link to the full conversation at the end.
1) Be Resilient: Build Macro Confidence
Sam distinguishes between the ups and downs of a single shot and the deeper trust built over months and years.
“I’m a very macro confident person… my confidence game to game or shot to shot can go up and down, but I’ve always felt so confident in the work I’m putting in—that it’s going to pay off… During those years where I wasn’t sure it was going to work out in the NBA, I felt very confident it would work out somewhere because I put in the work.” E4A Takeaway: Resilience isn’t pretending every moment feels great. It’s choosing to keep working when the results are delayed. Believe in the process you control.
2) Win the Hour: Choose “Want-To” over “Have-To”
Sam’s separator isn’t a secret drill—it’s the intention behind every rep. “Are you going to the gym because you have to… or because you want to get better and get something done? I’ve played with guys who are there because they have to be, and guys who are there because they want to be. I always felt like I wanted to be there—and still do.” E4A Takeaway: Before each workout, decide your purpose. Go to get something done. Stack intentional hours—one by one—until the pattern becomes your edge.
3) Seek to Bless, Not to Impress: Be a Selfless Teammate
Even at the highest level, teams thrive when players choose people over ego.
“Being a good teammate is being as selfless as you can be… Ask yourself: ‘Am I being selfless for my teammates? Is this helping all of us, not just me?’ I’ve had great teammates—Jrue Holiday was an insanely good human… And with Donovan Mitchell, he cares about everybody, communicates, understands what role players go through.” E4A Takeaway: Your influence is bigger than your box score. Use your voice and your energy to lift others. That’s leadership that lasts.
Why This Matters Sam’s message fits the heart of Especially for Athletes: develop confidence through consistent work, be intentional with every hour, and value people over praise. That’s how sports become a tool for character—not just a chase for achievements.
🎧 Listen to Podcast #147 with Sam Merrill — hear the full conversation and share it with an athlete, teammate, or coach. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Especially for Athletes:
- Website: https://e4a.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EspeciallyForAthletes/
- X: https://x.com/E4Afamily
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/especiallyforathletes/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmbWc7diAvstLMfjBL-bMMQ
Join the conversation using #TheSportlightPodcast
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Credits:
Hosted by Shad Martin & Dustin Smith
Produced by Shad Martin and IMAGINATE STUDIO
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction and Theme
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Especially for Athletes podcast, where we explore essential principles that empower athletes to learn life's most valuable lessons through sports.
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome everybody to the Especially for Athletes podcast. I'm Dustin Smith.
Introducing Sam Merrill
00:00:20
Speaker
I'm here with Shad Martin and our guest, Sam Merrill, NBA basketball player of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
00:00:27
Speaker
Sam is a local athlete, grew up in Utah, so local for us. We're headquartered here in Utah. Sam went to Bountiful High School where he was an all-state basketball player, went on to play at Utah State.
00:00:40
Speaker
and then was drafted as the last pick in the NBA draft. And he's sure making the most of that draft pick. It's after three or four years of grinding. He just recently signed a four-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in his in his rookie year in the NBA, won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. And we'll dive into that here in a minute because that had to have been been awesome. ah Sam, thank you for joining us.
00:01:06
Speaker
Yeah, thanks. Thanks for having me. I'm excited for this. I'm going to jump into a ah question right out of the gate, Sam.
Impact of Mission on Athletic Career
00:01:12
Speaker
After high school, you chose to go to Utah State. And know my understanding is that was a school you'd always wanted to go to. You have some family with some history at Utah State.
00:01:22
Speaker
You had some chances to go to some other schools, but but really, yeah really loved Utah State and what it stands for. But before you went to Utah State, This would be of interest to some of our listeners, especially here in Utah.
00:01:35
Speaker
You chose to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints down in Central America, South America area. Tell us why you made that decision, and did you feel like that helped you or hurt you? Because that's a big decision to make when you're getting ready to go be a Division I athlete to to leave for two years.
00:01:54
Speaker
Yeah, it was definitely a big decision, but it was it was always something that I felt comfortable doing. I never... you know Growing up, I always wanted to play in the NBA, but I never thought it was a realistic possibility. So I wasn't worried about you know what two years was was going to do for me. And I'd seen plenty of people around the state of Utah go on missions and still have good college careers and still play overseas and whatnot.
00:02:18
Speaker
But it was always something I wanted to do. And to be honest, I don't regret it one bit. like It was such a great experience for me. There's you know spiritually, of course, but also the things I had to learn as far as how to work and how to be resilient and how to be tough and stuff I thought I knew and felt like I was pretty good at, but definitely had to opt at a level. And yeah, I lost two years of playing without whatever limits, yeah know, you can only play sports at a high level for a certain number of years, but I wouldn't be where I am without having served a mission. And so whether it's a mission or any type of little opportunity to do something hard and serve others and
00:02:57
Speaker
put others before yourself. I think, I don't think you can go wrong with that. That's awesome, Sam. Yeah, that's really great.
Navigating NBA Challenges
00:03:03
Speaker
I, I was looking over your NBA journey drafted by the Pelicans, then immediately traded to the bucks, played with the bucks, went to the Grizzlies, went to the Sacramento Kings. Yeah.
00:03:13
Speaker
then went to the Cleveland Charge of the G League before landing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where you just recently signed a four-year deal with them. But it seems to me throughout your journey, even in the draft, sitting there hoping to get drafted, but then you have to wait until the last pick.
00:03:31
Speaker
And then, you know, it seems like you've been on the chopping block. almost every single year. And that must, you mentioned resilience in that first answer.
00:03:42
Speaker
We have young people who, you know, are trying to make their high school teams. And for them, that's as important to them as, as any other level. They really want to do it. and You're someone who's managed that very well and, and played with that constant pressure.
00:03:57
Speaker
Tell us what you've learned in your journey and how you've handled that and performed well in spite of all that pressure. Yeah, it's definitely been a grind. There were multiple times where I wasn't sure if it was going to happen in the NBA. Specifically, you know i went to training camp with Sacramento and had a really good camp and didn was the last cut going into the regular season and you know felt like I had outplayed some of the guys that got picked over me. but You know, that was, you know, after I got hurt in Memphis.
00:04:31
Speaker
So that's why I got waived there. I had to get ankle surgery. so You know, I get ankle surgery. I go to training camp with the Kings. Don't make the team at that point. It's like, okay, I might have used all my chances here.
00:04:46
Speaker
and you know, I thought might have to go overseas and this might be it. Uh, my agent had a lot of belief in me. My agents had a lot of belief in me and they said, listen, you are, you're good enough. Like you can do this. Let's go play in the G league a little bit. Remind people what you're capable of.
00:05:06
Speaker
Show people that you're healthy and it'll work out. And you know how even, even during my year in the G league, I had a great year. and but every single day you're just hoping your agent called and says, Hey, we got something here.
00:05:19
Speaker
And it took most of the season before I finally got that call up from the Cavs.
Maintaining Confidence in Skills
00:05:23
Speaker
So I just think, you know, people always ask me, you know, why are are you so confident or how do you handle wolves in confidence or whatnot? And I just tell people like, I'm a very macro confident person. When you talk about micro versus macro, like sure, my confidence game to game and shot to shot can go up and down and whatnot.
00:05:44
Speaker
But I've always felt so confident in the work that I'm putting in that it's going to pay off. I had a high school baseball coach that would always say, it'll all come around.
00:05:56
Speaker
And that's that's been a big ah big mantra for me is that you know during during those years where I wasn't sure whether it was going to work out in the and NBA, I felt very confident that it was going to work out somewhere because I put in the work and because I felt like I was good enough.
00:06:17
Speaker
So that's why, you know, if you're an athlete, that's not sure how it's going to go. Just just keep working, keep doing what you're supposed to be doing. And it'll work out some way, maybe not the way you expect, but ah it will work out. And it's to this point it worked out for me. And I'm grateful for that.
Philosophy of 'Eyes Up, Do the Work'
00:06:33
Speaker
Well, um I want to piggyback off of that because, ah you know, ah we met you at our our fundraising event a couple months ago that our motto is eyes up, do the work. Keep your eyes up and keep working.
00:06:46
Speaker
That encompasses a lot of things. Eyes up, do the work. There's a literal physical meaning behind that. Being optimistic, not putting our head down when when bad things happen. um And then working physically, but also that covers mental health, that covers spirituality. There's a lot that that phrase, eyes up, do the work means. I'm guessing that at a young age, you knew you were a pretty good shooter. um You had people tell you, you know, I i know you were 90%, I believe, from the foul line in college and a real good three-point shooter, one of the best in the world, top 1% probably in the entire world at shooting a deep ball.
00:07:24
Speaker
But lot of guys can shoot the ball. You're 6'4", 6'5", right around there. there's in the In the NBA, that might seem tall for us, but in the NBA, a good shooter, there's a lot of those guys in the world. So you had to you had to work you had to be something more than just a good shooter in order to make it in the NBA. So coming out of college as a dead-eye shooter, something that didn't maybe didn't come easy to you, but it was something that you had to – felt comfortable with it and and had some confidence in what other parts of your game did you really have to dig in and develop?
00:08:00
Speaker
And what was the process of going about doing that to make it and now guarding some of the very best at your position, you're guarding some of the very best basketball player well the very best basketball players in the world. So walk us through that.
Skill Development Beyond Shooting
00:08:15
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I could always shoot the ball, but even in college, I think, what What brought interest to a lot of teams was the fact that I could handle the ball as well. I played a lot of point guard in college.
00:08:27
Speaker
you know i I could shoot it, but I wasn't your typical Kyle Korver. you know I think teams thought I had that in me, but there was a little more to it, playing out of pick and roll and passing and whatnot.
00:08:38
Speaker
And to be honest, I've had to lean the other way because, you know like you said, there are a lot of great basketball players. like There are a lot of players overseas playing EuroLeague that are Very capable of playing in the and NBA, but sometimes it's it's fit really matters. But also, like, you got to do one thing really, really well if you're going to be a role player in the NBA.
00:09:01
Speaker
At least one thing really, really well. And so I had to lean more into the I'm just going to be a shooter offensively, at least. I'm just going to be a guy that puts up a lot of threes, makes a lot of threes, can shoot on the move. And I think now is where I'm trying to get a little bit of the handling back, playing out of pick and roll and other stuff. But at the end of the day, like there are a lot of guys that can shoot. There aren't a ton of guys that can shoot at a high level and can defend.
00:09:28
Speaker
I've had to. to not sugarcoat it like a six, four white guy. Like you see me out on the court and you just, like, you just assume I can't defend at that level. Six foot white guys from Utah that comes with from from Utah. That adds another little bit of, yeah. So I think, you know, even though I feel like I've really proven it the last couple of years, like there's, there's always going to be that, Oh, we see that guy. Let's, let's go at that guy. But I think that's, you know, you got to be able to play both ends or or just be so good at one end that it's, that it doesn't matter. And I've always felt like I'm a capable defender, but I've had to get stronger to deal with the size of some of these guys. Again, I've always felt like I've had the lateral quickness, not ah top end, but good enough to stay in front of guys. And then, but the other day, like it's defense is 90%.
00:10:19
Speaker
believe 90% just want to like, like pride, toughness, and then your physical tools can handle the rest of it. And so I felt like I've been able to prove on that end that I can not only just hold my own, but can can really defend at a high level.
00:10:38
Speaker
Well, now I want to follow up with kind of a two-part question along that same line. when you When you got to the NBA, some of the athletes I work with in football, I always talk about every level changes, but it's the speed of the game that seems to change the most and the professionalism, the mental focus that it takes as you advance in the game. there's There's not a lot of room for mistakes because you're not concentrating.
00:11:03
Speaker
What was it that you felt like was the biggest adjustment going from college to the NBA? And
Adapting to NBA's Speed and Professionalism
00:11:08
Speaker
was there, has there been a particular player that you went up against that kind of aha, like really was got you thinking, man, this is, this is legit. These guys are good.
00:11:18
Speaker
Is there somebody that really stood out to you the first time you heard them? Well, I remember one of our, one of my first practices in the NBA, we, with the Bucs, you know we, we had a bit of a unique defense for a little bit there where,
00:11:31
Speaker
if you were a guard and you were guarding a pick and roll, not guarding the ball, but you were guarding the guy setting the screen generally, you know, 99% of the time you would just switch or maybe, maybe you show or whatever, but yeah we would as guards be in a drop, like, like the bigs would be, which is not, not normal for guards. And, you know, one of the first times, whoever I was guarding set a screen on,
00:11:58
Speaker
the guy that was guarding Giannis and I sat in a drop and he, he went right at me and decided not to dunk it on me, which was very nice of him. He just laid it up over the top of me, but that was the moment where I was like, okay, like this is a completely different level. But I think for me, and this is, this is true with a lot of guys, like you have to learn how to really take care of your body because 82 games is a lot and there's a lot of back-to-backs and there's a lot of three games and four nights and it feels like from October 15th till April 15th you're basically just playing games you're you are either it's either game day or it's the night before a game or you've just played a game like there's not a lot of like two three day breaks where you can just chill so
00:12:49
Speaker
It's diet, but it's also getting in the weight room, getting your stretches, getting massages, Norma tech, all that stuff like is, is so important. and And I didn't start really playing until these last two years. So I think I'm even still learning how to best optimize that, but I've definitely tried to, you know, develop some routines of how to make sure that when,
00:13:17
Speaker
When it's 730 and it's game time, like my legs are ready to go. That's interesting to think about the being a professional athlete. You're still learning in your in your fifth and sixth year.
00:13:28
Speaker
The process now that you're playing more going through all of that related to Dustin's question. I think that i love asking people just what they've learned about the price of being great at something.
00:13:44
Speaker
And as you look at your journey, if you could go back to Sam Merrill, sophomore at Bountiful High School, what is some advice you would give to a young person that maybe you've learned throughout your journey that you didn't know at the beginning of it about the price of being great at something?
00:14:00
Speaker
and that's ah That's a great question. I mean, it's easy to sit back and say, yeah, I wish I had, you know, maybe eaten a little better in college or... maybe spend a little more time in the weight room or it's easy to say, yeah, I wish I would have done a couple extra workouts or whatnot.
00:14:20
Speaker
But, you know, I feel like I've tried to optimize my talent and have put in the work. If I were, you know, trying to talk to a younger kid who's trying to be the best that they could be, it's hard to say. It's easy to say just like,
00:14:38
Speaker
Work as hard as you can, but that really is the answer. Just makes to simplify it, I think it's try and really feel like you're getting something done every single day or work however often do you work out. I know it's you know we're not doing two days in high school, right?
00:14:52
Speaker
But like are you going to the gym because you feel like you have to go to the gym or are you going to the gym because you want to get a workout in and want to get better or get something done?
00:15:06
Speaker
I think that's, you I've played with a lot of guys in high school and in college who are just there because they have to be there as opposed to guys that are, or even even in the NBA, guys that are there because they have to be there as opposed to the guys that are there because they want to be there. And I always felt like I was a guy that wanted to be there and still wants to be there. And so that that's what I would say, like decide, this is this something you want to do? do you want to go to the gym to get better? Do you want to go?
00:15:32
Speaker
because your coach asked you to. That's that's how you separate yourself from from the reps. You know that that's one of our favorite words, right, Dustin? Intentional. So some will go and be intentional and some will just put in the time and some will go and intentionally try to get the most out of that experience, which is part of winning in the hour.
00:15:53
Speaker
Winning the hour Sam, we have four core principles of especially pro athletes that we write about in our book and that we speak on. To those listening here, Sam, when he was at Bountiful High School, we we've have worked with Bountiful High School before. And when Sam was in high school, we did a little bit with his school. But the four principles, the first one is win the hour, being, you know, concentrate on the moment, winning the moment. Be where your feet are and win that moment.
00:16:19
Speaker
and and And don't worry so much about what's happening in eight hours from now, but when now, you know, being resilient, um are are seeking to bless, not impress and competing without contempt, being a competitor, but not, you know, hating your opponent for it. I'm i'm curious to know, Sam, what does it mean to you to be a a good teammate?
00:16:39
Speaker
And are there, is there somebody that has stood out to you as somebody who really exemplifies what it means to be a good teammate? How important is that in creating a culture, a championship culture, which you've had in high school, you won a state championship at Utah State. You guys did some incredible things. And if if you haven't seen it yet, everybody go look up on YouTube, Sam's game winner.
00:17:03
Speaker
Was that in the the Mountain West tournament or was that the NCAA tournament? Mountain West, right? Yeah. Mal West. Yeah. Oh my gosh. what And then, and then the world ended four days later.
00:17:14
Speaker
Yeah. I was right before COVID, huh? And you didn't get a chance to go play. You guys were, you were in the tournament. Yeah, we played the year before, but we lost.
00:17:24
Speaker
So we were ready to go back and try and go get a win. And yeah, everything everything changed. I forgot that was. That was right before. and You had all that momentum after. what It was an unbelievable shot.
00:17:37
Speaker
Anyway, and then you get to the NBA and you win a championship. So you know what championship cultures look like. How important is being a teammate and and building that as a team? It's so important. It just...
00:17:51
Speaker
it so It's so, especially at this level, it's so hard to find guys that, because it's it's a job. and It is. It's hard to find. It's not hard to find guys that truly care about others, but it's hard to find and a group of guys that all really care about each other. And I think we have that with this Cavs team.
00:18:08
Speaker
But I think being a good teammate is just really being as selfless as you can be. this And it's not easy, right? We all have our own personal goals and aspirations, but...
00:18:21
Speaker
I think you just got to ask yourself in everything you're doing is, am being selfless for my teammates? Is this something that's going to help all of us and not just me personally?
00:18:33
Speaker
um I've had a lot of, you know, really good teammates. Drew Holiday, my rookie hero, was an insanely good human. Just was one of those guys that really doesn't care about himself, but just wants to play and have fun with his teammates. and For my Utah people, I've spent now three years with Donovan Mitchell, and he's,
00:18:51
Speaker
You know, one of my favorite dudes cares about everybody, communicates with guys, understands what role players may or may not be going through, how it's it's hard. It's hard to be a superstar, but it's also really hard to be a role player, too.
00:19:02
Speaker
And he understands that and again, communicates has fun with guys and doesn't try to be too cool, even though he has, you know, even though he has the freedom to do that type of stuff.
00:19:16
Speaker
If you wanted to. Exactly. so those are, those are two guys that have really stood out to me. It was just really cool. Dustin, when you think of, because it doesn't matter how far line you down the line, you go, there's the Donovan Mitchell's on high school teams and there's the role players on high school teams. And,
00:19:35
Speaker
and No matter what the team, what the sport, it's cool to hear people like that, the Drew Holidays, the Donovan Mitchells that do exactly what we try to train athletes to do.
00:19:46
Speaker
And that is to use their sport light, that extra attention that comes to them as an athlete, but even as the best athlete on team. on a team to lift and to help and to communicate and to include and value everyone on their team. So it's cool to hear that there's those that are out there that could be so different if they wanted to. And I'm sure there are those out there who are very accomplished that are totally different.
00:20:12
Speaker
But it's great when someone uses that sport light to lift their own teammates and show appreciation toward those very necessary role players. So and that's really cool to get that that peek inside those guys, what they're like.
Navigating Social Media Pressure
00:20:27
Speaker
Sam, how did you handle... social media, you know, Shad just touched on the sport life. That's really why we call this program, especially for athletes, that everybody should have their eyes up and do the work, but especially the athletes. And and you're the perfect example of it. That's why it's so great to have you on.
00:20:46
Speaker
And hopefully we can do more with you in the future is because your sport life has gotten brighter and brighter. and Right now, I mean, being a professional athlete, people all over the country, all over the world know who you are now. So what you say and what you do has a different impact on people. But at the high school level or the youth or college level, where that sport might be more centralized or focused in the community, social media adds a lot of pressure to athletes.
00:21:12
Speaker
In some cases, it makes that sport light so bright. that it, it, it fries kids. It, it's so bright. They can't handle the heat being underneath it they ruin themselves. And other kids use it in a way that does unbelievable good and and can set such a great example. But what would you tell ah a young kid who wants to be a good athlete, but also has access on his phone to social media? And was that something that you had to be careful with in your own life?
00:21:41
Speaker
Yeah, I've never been, you know, i I use social media. I've never been a big poster. Definitely I'm on it probably more than I should be. But, you know, when I was in high school, it was we were just at the beginning stages.
00:21:52
Speaker
It's definitely not like it is now. And, you know, being where I'm at now, there's there's a ton of pressure because it's so easy to say exactly what I want to say about you. And it's not going to be to that level in high school, obviously.
00:22:05
Speaker
ah But you can see some. some pretty nasty things and you get some nasty DMS when you don't have a good game from gamblers and whatnot. Social media is, is so it used to be just to post what's going on in your life and whatnot. And now it's so much more about about me, me, me. And what can I get out of it? And how can I highlight myself and whatnot? And,
00:22:30
Speaker
So I think my advice would just be like, it's okay to you know, if you do something great and someone posts about it, I think it's okay to repost that and and whatnot. But are are we, is everything we do on social media just about highlighting ourselves and try to show off? Or is there a certain level of trying to highlight others in my life or trying to showcase things that are important to me or just, just not posting all that much?
00:22:57
Speaker
How about that? Just don't post. When i when i signed my contract, they part of it was because I had a lot of texts and whatnot coming in, but I haven't really posted about it just because like what I'm, you know, obviously i have a ton of gratitude for the people that have helped me, but I'm hoping that I show that in my everyday life. Like I don't i don't need to brag it like that I signed a ah new contract or whatnot. So and I don't know if that's a great answer not, but I just think it's something you definitely have to be careful with these days because it's all about me, me, me, and how can I monetize this and how can i show off and potentially tear others down by doing so. So I would just say, just be careful and thoughtful about what you're doing.
00:23:44
Speaker
So Sam, you played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, you played with the Bucs. So you played with probably two, one for sure, Hall of Famer. Possibly a second in Donovan Mitchell.
00:23:55
Speaker
If you've got Giannis coming down the lane or Donovan coming down the lane, it's just you back on a fast break. Which guy are you more nervous about posterizing you?
00:24:07
Speaker
There's not a good answer. I'm going to try and foul both of them for sure. yeah I think it would be a little easier for Giannis. Donovan, I could maybe try and... Donovan, the two foot dunker, he's not a one foot dunker. So I think I could maybe play an angle and just force him to shoot a layup.
00:24:23
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. There's not a lot you can do there. Just get out of the way. Just fake a hamstring injury and ball on the ground. Yeah. One of the things that we really emphasize, Sam, is the competing without contempt that you don't have to hate your opponent to compete against them.
Competition with Respect
00:24:42
Speaker
and how hate doesn't have to be your fuel. If hate fuels your competition, then maybe you aren't as much of a competitor as you might think you are. what it What have you learned about that as you play with these different individuals, move around teams?
00:24:56
Speaker
I'm sure you're friends with guys you now compete against. what What advice would you give young people about competing in a passionate way, but you don't have to hate or belittle your opponent in order to do that? do you have any thoughts on that?
00:25:10
Speaker
Yeah, i would I would just say, you know, in in our league, everything, you know, it's a championship-focused league. Like, every team wants to get there, and the best teams, like, that doesn't matter who's in your way. Like, that's what you're trying to do is win a championship, and there there are rivalries, and just definitely...
00:25:30
Speaker
you know, when you play in playoff series and you play against the team six or seven straight times, you learn to dislike them. But I think, you know, I think there's just, there's a certain, I think it's great to have joy in competing and just, and just playing.
00:25:51
Speaker
Like I'm just, you know, I try and, a lot of times just sit back and be like, man, I get play in the the best league in the world. And doesn't matter who's in front of me. Like I get to just go have fun and play and compete and try to win. And the question is, are are you trying to win are you trying to beat somebody?
00:26:08
Speaker
And I think there's a difference there. And yeah, it's, it's okay to get, you know, to have some, that type of competitive spirit where I think you're, you know, you definitely want to beat the person in front of you, but,
00:26:22
Speaker
Like you said, it's it's without contempt and it's it's without trying to belittle someone. It's just my my college coach would always say, you know, after a game, we we could never say anything bad about the other team because he would always say that belittle your opponent is to belittle yourself. And I think that's very true.
00:26:40
Speaker
Yeah, that's really cool. That's to belittle your team or the team you just played is to belittle yourself because that's who you just beat when you compete against. That's that's cool concept. That's awesome.
00:26:51
Speaker
That's really great. One of our very core principles is the athletes have this sport light. And, you know, and you think back to high school and and the position that a high school, for example, sets an athlete in the opportunity to do good and to lift those around them, to look out for lonely lonely people to bring them into circles with friends and things like that.
00:27:13
Speaker
Now you go to Utah State and that sport light grows brighter and then you go the NBA and of course it becomes super bright. But have you had any favorite opportunities or learned any lessons? Maybe that's two questions about how someone could use their sport light to lift and help other people.
00:27:32
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you see a lot of professional athletes that are very good at giving back to their community and some in more loud ways than others. You know, so guys have foundations and whatnot. I don't i don't have a foundation in the end.
00:27:46
Speaker
But you also see a lot of guys that just... There's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that goes on. And I think it's, you know, when you talk about sharing your light, it doesn't have to be in, you know, massive, extravagant ways.
00:28:02
Speaker
My ah favorite, you know, the people that I look up to the most are the ones that either have a lot of money or have a lot of fame or whatever. And you would just, you would never know and if you were around them because they treat everyone the same. And they look out for, like you're saying, those that are,
00:28:19
Speaker
especially and need of that. i know I know plenty of people that are like that, and that's how I try to live. And I think those are the type of people that everyone could really look up to.
Using 'Sport Light' for Good
00:28:30
Speaker
If you're in that situation and you know you're the star of the of your high school team, like try and act like you're not the star your high school team. Just look out for others. And I think people a lot of people notice that, even if it's not as loud as other things.
00:28:49
Speaker
Yeah. And it goes right along with our principle. Seek to bless. It's right over my shoulder here. Seek to bless. not to impress. And if I hear what you're saying, like those quiet moments of just seeking people out who need it, helping them out, whatever it may be, socially, even financially, sometimes just quietly lifting people around them.
00:29:12
Speaker
That seems to be, if I hear you correctly, what impresses you the most, not so much, even though it's awesome to start a big foundation to do good in the world that and things like that, but you seem more impressed with the quiet service that lifts individuals and no one would ever know.
00:29:27
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. I mean, again, Tony Fina as a foundation, he does great work for people and he's clearly is a light to everybody. ah So not to diminish that at all, but I do think it's, it's great. It's great when you see people that just like to do it in a different way. And that's, you know, you're, you talk about being intentional, like as long as you're looking to help others and serve others, like that's, that's how you make a difference.
00:29:53
Speaker
Awesome. Awesome. Well, can I ask you a few rapid fire questions and have you just answer with like 15 second questions ah or answers? like Okay.
00:30:04
Speaker
Okay. Here we go. Favorite place to play in the NBA? Playing in Salt Lake is fun. Madison Square Garden is pretty cool though, too. Yeah. Awesome. Awesome.
00:30:15
Speaker
Best game you've ever had in your life? I would say either that that that championship game against San Diego State. considering the stakes or junior year at car Rattle State. This was our last regular season game. So this was to win the, the regular season championship. Like had a really good game. I had like 38, eight assists, seven e rebounds or something like that. It was statistically probably the best game I've ever played.
00:30:46
Speaker
What does it feel like on a night like you had against the jazz where you hit eight, three pointers, Just describe that feeling when it's just everything's going in.
00:30:58
Speaker
That's what it is. It feels like whatever you put up is going to go in. And it's nice to... It's not like that every night, but it's it's nice when those nights do happen. Awesome.
00:31:09
Speaker
Favorite thing to do besides play basketball? Besides being with my family, I play a lot of golf. That's my go-to. You have a favorite course you've ever played? Yeah, I mean, I've played Pebble Beach, which is great. I've played... a I actually just played in Los Angeles Country Club on Monday. That's pretty sweet course.
00:31:28
Speaker
And then I've played um Chicago Golf Club in Chicago, which is also an insanely fun course. Yeah.
00:31:39
Speaker
Do you have a best score? What's the best score you've ever you've ever put up golf? I have shot a 67 once. I've shot a 67 and 68 at Bountiful Ridge, my home course. So that's it's the only time I've broken par.
00:31:54
Speaker
Was those couple of times, but, uh, those were pretty good rounds. What other sports did you play in high school and growing up? And how do you feel like that helped your development to get where you are today?
00:32:08
Speaker
Where so many kids are specializing nowadays. I'm just curious. how you feel about the other sports you played growing up and how that helped you. I played everything. I played basketball, baseball, football. I play all three my throughout high school. Well, I took a couple years off of baseball and then came back and played my senior year, but i played football three years and like just had so much fun. I don't know. I don't know if the stats would back it up, but I i think physically it helps your body playing different sports because there's different movements involved. And you know, I,
00:32:41
Speaker
I've been able to stay pretty healthy and I think I attribute some of that to, you know, being able to move in different ways, but just like, I mean, learning how to be tough playing football, coming back and playing baseball when I hadn't played for three, four years, like having to learn how to do that again that was a great experience. And then just like, especially in high school, spending time with your friends and you're always doing something and always at practices, like,
00:33:07
Speaker
Those times were so fun and I wouldn't trade those for anything. Coach that's had the biggest impact on your life. Why? So many, but I got to go with the great Larry Wall from Battleful Football, legendary Battleful Football. Coach was there for 30 plus years he and he was just teaching us all types of life lessons and the importance of he did say when winning the hour, but you know, he would always say before you know it, this will be over. So like taking advantage of the moment and making the most of it and so many other things that he taught us. So he's, he's someone I'm very grateful for.
00:33:46
Speaker
Kind of cool to think. So you're sitting there playing now in the biggest venues in the biggest on the biggest stage in the world, possibly with the NBA basketball and You still reflect back on some of what Coach Wall taught you on a football field in Bountiful?
00:34:02
Speaker
You still reflect on that stuff? Yeah, yeah all the time. That's awesome. Well, considering our audience, coaches, parents, and then young athletes, anything else on your mind that you would say, yeah, this is something that's really important to me?
Enjoying the Sports Journey
00:34:17
Speaker
that I would want these people to know about life's lessons through sports, helping other people, they're getting the most out of out of your opportunities in life. Just anything still on your heart that we haven't discussed yet that is really important to you personally? No, I mean, the thing I always try and tell high school kids whenever I meet up with them or talk to them is just just enjoy it. Not everyone's going to go play in college or play professionally in whatever sport and maybe you will and maybe you'll win state championships and maybe you won't, but like, you know, I had so much fun with, with my buddies and competing and practices and conditioning and all that stuff.
00:34:56
Speaker
Those times were so fun. And, uh, so just, just take advantage of those moments and have fun and enjoy And, You know, I've obviously been blessed to still be playing a sport that I love, but that's not always the case. And I always talk to my my high school buddies and they're jealous that I still can play and they wish they could still play. Just make the most of those moments and and have fun doing it.
00:35:22
Speaker
Awesome. Well, Sam, thank you so much for taking time with us today. It's been fun following your career, having you be local here, watching what you did at Utah State, and then having you arrive now with that local connection, not only you, but Donovan Mitchell there and Just the Cavs seem to be a team that people still pay attention to here in the state because of you and and Donovan and others that have gone there for the Jazz. It's just been so fun to watch your your rise and to watch a good person who's put good things first to their life and to accomplish what you've accomplished. So congratulations. We're all cheering for you.
00:36:00
Speaker
And thank you so much for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. For those who are listening to this, please like it and and share it. And we appreciate you so much, Sam. Best of luck with your new contract moving forward with the new year.
00:36:15
Speaker
Hope you kill it. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. Thank you for joining the Especially for Athletes podcast. To learn more about Especially for Athletes organization, get a copy of our book, The Sportlight, or to bring our program to your team, school, business, or organization, visit us at especiallyforathletes.org.