Team Building Focuses on Leadership for Phoenix Suns

LeadershipTalent AcquisitionTeam Building
Written By Evan Burk

With all the big moves made in NBA free agency this summer, the Phoenix Suns signing aging NBA veteran Trevor Ariza has probably gone largely unnoticed.  But I think this is an excellent indication of what the Suns are trying to build with a young roster.

While there is no doubt that they are a young and talented team with players like Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, acquiring Ariza shows a commitment in the organization to put a premium on leadership and in teaching this young team how to win, a characteristic often overlooked in sports today.

General Manager Ryan McDonough: "I think as much as anything, maybe more than anything, we need his leadership and his winning pedigree."

Trevor Ariza: "In order to be a great team you have to be selfless…You have to come out and compete every night.  In order to get better, you've got to give to your team.  If you give to your team, everybody sees it, everybody feels it, and it makes the person next to you want to give to you."

James Jones, Sun's Vice President of Operations: "Ariza speaks to exactly what we are looking for...a guy that every time he steps on the court and laces them up, goes out and tries to win.  Not just on game day. It's practice.  Its the way he approaches the game, the way he approaches the off day, film, just everything."

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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