This Common Denominator Allowed Kobe, Duncan, And KG To Reach Hall Of Fame Status

Some chips are perfect for vending machines, concession stands, or afternoon snacks; others are destined to help flavor one’s immortality. The headlining members of the most recent Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction class admittingly had “chips” on their shoulder that fed their respective careers.

We can easily crunch the career numbers of WNBA legend Tamika Catchings and NBA greats Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and the late Kobe Bryant to get a taste for why this grouping is considered the most decorated class of all time. This past weekend in Springfield, IL, their enshrinement was seasoned with 12 League Championships, 60 All-Star game selections, and five League MVP awards. Sure there were Olympic gold medals, All-Defense honors, and Finals MVP trophies sprinkled in as well. But the lesson that stood out most, to me, was the story behind the “chip.”

Often it’s adversity or criticism that causes a person to say, “Woe is me.” But the Great ones use those challenges to say, “Woe is you!”

Catchings used basketball to dribble past the insecurities of a childhood hearing disability to play 15 seasons in the WNBA and have her name read aloud for five different league records, including career steals and most consecutive playoff appearances.

Duncan didn’t pick up a basketball until age 14 in the aftermath of a Category-5 hurricane and the passing of his mother. Still, he used the fundamentals of the sport to create an impact that stretched from his native Virgin Islands to the San Antonio Spurs… to the world.

Garnett entered the NBA with the distinction of being the first kid since 1975 to go straight from high school to the League. Early, that meant he was often physically dominated by older players. He consistently placed the chip on his shoulder for 19 seasons with Minnesota, Boston, and Brooklyn, refusing to taper his competitive fire or back down from any opponent.

And then… There’s Kobe’s chip. At an early age, while growing up in Italy, basketball helped him rise above feeling like the ridiculed outcast who didn’t look the same as his surroundings. After an attention-grabbing, high school career stateside, he entered the NBA as the 13th pick in the 1996 Draft with more naysayers than fans. His rise to stardom with the Los Angeles Lakers, constant comparison to NBA GOAT Michael Jordan, and tug of war with legendary teammate Shaquille O’Neal gave him an assortment of chips to fuel his drive.

I was glued to the television screen watching these Hall of Fame greats, or their representative—one by one, step to the podium in front of their peers, family, and fans to unpack a career’s worth of grit, determination, and emotion. They all shared more than the trademark Hall of Fame jacket and diamond-encrusted ring. They acknowledged how their willingness to embrace the opportunity to be great became more potent than their circumstances or critics.

Let’s face it. We are all going to face a challenge at various points in our lives. Someone is going to say or do something hurtful. You can let it cripple you or let it fuel you. Those who visit my office will likely notice a short newspaper article taped to the side of my computer screen. It’s a clipping of a negative piece written about me nearly 30 years ago that criticized a book I wrote about Notre Dame. It was a New York Times best-selling book, and I’ve gone on to write a few others that have graced that best-sellers list. But I keep that tattered “chip” taped to my computer to remind me that not everyone expected me to strive as diligently as I believe I have.

Some people use those chips; some fail to. How are you burning the logs on your fire? Are you allowing your chips to salt the wounds, or are you crushing through them and reaching new levels of determination, perseverance, and success? How you react will define your capacity to be good or great.

The incredible legacies cemented by this Hall of Fame class prove that it’s the way we respond that turns those “chips” into Greatness.