USA Basketball, Department Of Defense To Host Leadership Seminar At Nellis Air Force Base
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey, USA Basketball chair and men’s National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo and USA National Team head coach Mike Krzyzewski, as part of USA Basketball’s Hoops For Troops and the Department of Defense’s Commitment to Service initiatives, will conduct a Leadership Seminar at Nellis Air Force Base on Aug. 13 from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. (PDT), open to all U.S. service members, their families and staff members on base. ESPN’s college basketball analyst Jay Bilas will moderate the seminar.
“The US military is the preeminent leader development institution in America,” said General Dempsey. “The Hoops For Troops Leadership Seminar is a unique opportunity for some of the greatest leaders in all of sports to exchange ideas with some of our military’s rising leaders.
“USA Basketball and the NBA support our military through the ‘Hoops for Troops’ program. In turn, our troops partner with NBA players across the country in the ‘Commitment to Service’ program. The world’s best athletes partnered with the world’s best military professionals to give back to the communities that support us!”
“After the success we had in 2014 with a similar panel discussion at the Pentagon, I’m looking forward to joining General Dempsey and Coach K in this incredible opportunity,” said Colangelo. “I am delighted that USA Basketball and the Department of Defense can again join efforts to enjoy an open discussion about leadership with those who are serving this great nation. It’s an honor to represent USA Basketball in such a positive and valuable manner. I’m sure this will be a great learning experience for everyone.”
The Aug. 13 leadership seminar will feature each of the speakers discussing leadership, what it means to them and how athletes and U.S. service members can be leaders on and off the court, and in and out of military service.
The discussion will focus on challenges facing championship-level teams and the U.S. military. Among the topics will be how to motivate and inspire people towards pursuit of a common goal, how to mentor young adults for a lifetime of positive contributions, how to recruit and retain the best talent, and how to better integrate a diverse group of people.
The strategy seminar with General Dempsey, Colangelo and Kryzyzewski provides a venue to talk about shared values, common themes, and applicable lessons learned over long and successful professional careers in basketball and in defense of our country.
Additionally, the participants will answer questions from servicemen and women in attendance.
The event is part of an existing relationship between the USA Basketball, NBA, and the Department of Defense focused on “Commitment to Service.”
Through “Commitment to Service,” U.S. service members and athletes will serve side-by-side to address challenges and contribute to their local communities. The program focuses on four pillars -- Transition, Community, Leadership and Health -- and features a full schedule of events across the country including USO Tours with legends of the game, exhibition games, clinics, open practices, speaking engagements, meet-and-greets and more.