THE LOOP
Advice from Micheal Scott.
Get out there and try something new. Take a few risks, be bold. Only thing worse than failing is not knowing.
Life lessons with Tim Duncan
Five NBA Championships, 14th all-time in points, 6th in rebounds, 3rd in blocked shots and widely regarded as the best power forward of all time, San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan retired on Monday after 19 NBA seasons. Even if you don't care about basketball, there are so many ways to appreciate Tim beyond his athletic achievements.
Kobe Bryant announced his retirement last summer to ensure he had his season-long farewell tour, turning every Lakers game into a circus of standing ovations and arena-wide video tributes. Tim Duncan retired on a Monday morning in July. No press conference, no public statement, just one tweet from the Spurs Twitter account reading: "Nineteen seasons. Five rings. One team. #ThankYouTD"
No departure could be more fitting for the first ballot Hall Of Famer who only did commercials for the local grocery store chain, didn't care about "building his brand" and played for one small-market franchise for his entire career.
In today's world of celebrity stardom, Tim was an anomaly. So consistently and quietly transcendent that he was "boring". From his go-to move (a bank shot from the angle), to the no-frills dominance of the Spurs organization and his infamous "dad outfits" (baggy jeans and over-sized button ups) that remained consistent through the years of NBA fashion evolution - nothing about him was exciting because all that mattered was his quiet dedication to the game and team success.
For two decades, Tim was the foundation of the most consistent and successful franchise in pro sports. He put his head down and worked quietly and tirelessly, celebrating his teammates' achievements more than his own. Yes, it's cliche, but there's endless value in being more felt than seen, in doing things "the right way" and in a constant team-first approach. Tim embodied those qualities in every way, and will quietly bow out as one of his sport's all-time greats.
And if you don't care about any of those things, we'll always have this:
Tuesday, July 12th. Make Today Count!
Good Morning Crusaders! Happy Prime Day!
Amazon is holding its second annual Prime Day today. Half of all Amazon customers in the US ( 63 million) are now Prime subscribers. In his letter to shareholders earlier this year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos highlighted the company’s focus on Prime membership. “We want Prime to be such a good value, you’d be irresponsible not to be a member.” Today's Prime day will be bigger than ever, with more than 100,000 deals. Last year Prime Day was a huge success for SlideBelts. Sales for the day alone topped $38,000. I will keep you posted on how we do for today's Prime Day.
