The purpose of this Informational Interview with John Harding Lucas (Lucas) was to make contact with a sports industry professional and learn about his role and responsibilities. The secondary goal is to have an opportunity to establish a business relationship that may foster networking opportunities that could reap benefits now and in the future. I am very pleased that both objectives were successfully met.Lucas is a retired, professional basketball athlete and coach. He is also the founder of John Lucas Enterprises, a network of drug treatment programs, especially for athletes, and owner and founder of John Lucas Basketball Resources based in Houston, TX. It is nothing short of a miracle what Lucas has done with his life and in the lives of others. From humble beginnings growing up in the 1960-70’s in Durham, NC, both parents were educators (principal and assistant principal) and very instrumental in shaping his academic foundation. Additionally, while his parents worked tirelessly after school during the desegregation movement, Lucas was blessed when he was in elementary school to work with the high school coach at his father’s school who took an interest in his athletic development.
Unbeknownst to millions of his fans, amongst his numerous amateur and professional athletic accomplishments is the little known fact that he graduated Valedictorian of his senior class and earned his master’s degree in secondary education, which he received during his first year in the NBA. This exceptional academic talent paired with his very rare athleticism in basketball, football and tennis, along with his very solid spiritual foundation are key components to the successes he has experienced in his lifetime.
Among the questions asked, “Why did you choose to attend the University of Maryland instead of University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) or Duke University, he humbly stated that he had over 1,000 scholarship offers ranging from academic to athletics in basketball, football and tennis. Though he felt some pressure from mentors to attend an in-state college, however, he was entering college at a time when coaches felt that freshmen could not play sports during their first year of enrollment. While the head coach at the University of Maryland, Charles Grice “Lefty” Driesell, had only heard about him and had never actually seen him play, Lucas was offered a starting position on the team. This was the second time that a coach took a personal interest in his athletic development and worked unceasingly to help shape him into a star point guard and an All-American in both basketball and tennis. Lucas states, “I had someone who believed in me and was willing to give me a chance.”
In describing his strengths and weaknesses, Lucas offers that his strengths in sports was having the capacity to make others better because as the point guard, he was the facilitator and had a lot of confidence in his teammates with an uncanny ability to get them to believe in themselves. Another strength he identified was obtained from watching his father who worked beyond eight-to-five each day through the late hours of the night. Lucas came to believe that if you want to become better than others or yourself, you have to put in the extra time to be successful. He professes, “Hard work is key to success.”
Paradoxically, Lucas states that the strength of his weakness is perfection. He asks, “Who am I in competition with?” In competing with himself, he has found that due to the high standards he has set for himself, he will never measure up. Because he is always under self-examination and self-scrutiny, he sometimes misses the fact that he has accomplished the task and continues to push harder, thereby, missing an important part of the journey.
This specific subject led us into a discussion about his toughest personal or business experiences, and how his leadership skills has prepared him for his career opportunities. As a top point guard in the NBA from 1976 until the late 1980’s, he was the first NBA player to gain public attention by openly admitting his dependency on illegal drugs and alcohol and submitting to anti-drug and anti-alcohol treatment in order to remain in the NBA. He entered a recovery program in 1986, which was the beginning of a long and painful recovery process, and he proudly affirms he has been sober for over 25 years. This process would eventually restore his reputation, skills, and his credibility, and also enabled him to find his spiritual growth again.
At the age of 32 when his career as a professional athlete was coming to an end, he had to learn how to function as an adult and not as an adult athlete. He learned that some of the skillsets that he was able to apply in his life as an athlete was not always applicable in his personal life, and he states, “playing sports is what I did and not who I was.” After successfully completing the drug rehabilitation treatment, he started drug rehabilitation programs of his own and now has over 13 treatment centers in order to help other athletes reform their lives and quit addictive habits. Additionally, according to Lucas, he was commissioned to write all the major drug policies for all major sports, and because of his knowledge and education, he has written a book entitled “Winning a Day At A Time”. The book is about winning off the court. Lucas has also written his own fitness programs for his treatment units, and created his own modalities without having to employ medical professionals.
He eventually returned to the NBA as a general manager, became the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and was instrumental in drafting LeBron James. He also has coached the San Antonio Spurs, the Philadelphia 76ers, was assistant coach of the Denver Nuggets for three years, and as recent as the 2009-10 NBA season, was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Mike Dunleavy.
When asked to describe one thing, if any, that he would change if he had to live his life over again, he responded adamantly, “Not one thing about my life would I change.” John Lucas states that for the longest time in his life by waiting on the next coaching opportunity, he rejected the gift and purpose that God has given him to be of service to others, but he has now fully accepted his gift and declares that his best coaching experience is being a life coach. Starting with his own two sons, John Lucas III and Jai Lucas, he has successfully developed them both academically and athletically and prepared them for life in the pros. John Lucas III is currently playing with the Chicago Bulls and his younger son, Jai Lucas, is playing internationally. He states, “It was very important for me to give my own sons a part of the gift that I have been blessed with.”
He recommends that in order to leverage my career in the sports industry I should attend National Events and Expos, as well as network with people in the industry who are doing things that are of interest to me. Additionally, he suggests another way to take my career to the next level is to develop a questionnaire for others to complete that will ultimately help me to understand what are the current needs in the industry and try to find the best way to address those needs.
In conclusion, this interview was very informative and was relative to the Sports Management and Operations objectives. I have total admiration for his candidness and his ability to beat the odds. The journey that he has taken in order to accomplish all that he has and to become the individual he is today is truly miraculous. He does not hesitate to acknowledge and thank God for the Blessings and opportunities he has been afforded. Lucas is highly regarded as one of the best resources for basketball training and development in the country. Top NBA and collegiate players across the nation travel to Houston, TX during their off-season, especially during this lockout, to participate in his workouts and training sessions.
I am hopeful that I will be awarded an internship with his organization and acquire some of the knowledge and skillsets that he possesses and utilizes daily as he has dedicated his life to helping others regain and maintain control of their lives. Working with his organization will also be an opportunity for me to continue to develop my non-profit business plan that is centered on working with and developing athletic scholars for life during and after college.
REFERENCES
Lucas, John H. (2011) Personal Informational Interview. Interview convened on October 12, 2011.
