14 | John Thomas on the Essence of Culture

Written By Evan Burk
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John Thomas is an executive with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, where oversees basketball development for both Minnesota's NBA and WNBA franchises. As a former NBA player, he played for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, and his hometown Timberwolves, and was a part of the University of Minnesota's Final Four run in the 1997 NCAA Tournament his senior year in college.

In this conversation, Evan Burk talks with John about making the Final Four in college, his professional career in the NBA, playing overseas, and returning to the NBA, and the profound impact his basketball journey had on his own personal development.

Find this episode for free on your favorite podcast player.

Tune into this episode to hear:

  • 2:00 | John’s beginnings as an athlete

  • 4:15 | Ending up at the University of Minnesota

  • 6:00 | The essence of culture that was set by Coach Clem Haskins on the Minnesota basketball team

  • 8:00 | Subtle ways the coaching staff built the culture

  • 10:15 | University of Minnesota’s Final Four run his senior year

  • 14:45 | Adjusting to the NBA and the approach of NBA coaches

  • 22:45 | Playing overseas and his journey back to the NBA

  • 33:45| Being an NBA executive overseeing basketball development

  • 38:45 | Where John focuses in his own personal growth

Learn more about John:

Learn more about Evan:

 
Evan Burk

Evan Burk is a speaker, former NFL coach, and podcast host who uses the sports world as his backdrop to engage audiences with thought-provoking lessons of leadership, team-building, and creating championship cultures.

Evan Burk is not your typical football coach. Despite not playing football beyond high school and no network in the coaching profession, Evan's unlikely football journey began as a 4th grade coach, where he quickly worked his way to the NFL in just 6 years, and included coaching for teams such as the Miami Dolphins, UCLA, and SMU.

After spending fifteen-plus years working with the highest-performing athletes, coaches, and teams on the planet, Coach Burk uses his unique football coaching background to teach people how to utilize the same strategies in business and life that elite players and teams use to perform at a world-class level.

Evan received his B.S. in business management from the University of Colorado, and his Master of Liberal Studies degree from Southern Methodist University. He also hosts his own weekly sports leadership podcast, The Highest Level, where he reveals how championship team cultures are built and the keys to leadership excellence at the highest level.

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