Kenny Smith: Do the Ordinary Things Extra

"I did the ordinary things extra." - Kenny Smith

Kenny Smith is best known for his work in the NBA on TNT, but he was also a great basketball player. He was a high school All-American, played for Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina, and won 2 championships with the Houston Rockets.

When Kenny was in high school, he said he went from not being recruited at all as a junior with 0 scholarship offers to being an All-American and having scholarship offers from every school in the country as a senior.

How did he do it? Work ethic and doing the ordinary things extra. He says, "Champions do daily what everyone else does occasionally. They aren’t extraordinary, they just do the ordinary extra."

A mindset shift changed his work ethic, and a change in work ethic changed his career and life in just 6 months. Make the next 6 months your best 6 months by committing to doing just a few things you already do better, more consistently, or extra.

Reflection Question: What are 1-3 things you can commit to doing extra or more consistently this year?

In the interview below, he talks about what it takes to be a champion, why he doesn’t sleep in planes, baking vs microwaving, and how to change your life in 6 months.

What it Takes to Win (1:00)

To win a championship, you have to have the 1 and 2 guys to get you there, but you win it because of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The Lakers had Magic and Kareem, but they wouldn’t have won without James Worthy, Byron Scott, Cooper, and Thompson. Without the right pieces around them, you are stuck with talented guys who can’t get it done.

Be a Plumber First (21:10)

Kenny’s college teammate was David Kohler from the Kohler plumbing family, a multi-million dollar business. When Kenny asked why his father made him an executive, he said, “I have to be a plumber first.” He said he had to learn everything about the business first, and when his kids ask him for stuff, he tells them, “You have to be a plumber first.”

Don’t Sleep on Planes (34:50)

Kenny said one time on a plane, he sat next to a psychologist who told him to not go to sleep on the plane because when you are in the air, your brain thinks better. Instead of watching a movie or working, do something creative because your creative juices are higher. You can get so much work done being in the air.

What Champions Do Differently (40:00)

Champions do daily what everyone else does occasionally. You aren’t extraordinary, you just do the ordinary extra. It’s simple, but it’s not.

The Process to Greatness: Microwave vs Bake (1:01:00)

The world is about baking; it’s not about microwaving. And food that’s baked tastes better, but if you check on it every 5 minutes, it looks like it’s not done.

There is a process to greatness.

Change Your Life in 6 Months (1:05:00)

Kenny said he went from not being recruited at all with 0 scholarship offers as a junior to being a top 5 player in the country as a senior in just 6 months because of his work ethic.

He said that summer he started doing the ordinary things extra. He did extra things all summer and by the end of his senior year, he was a first-team All-American, and a McDonald’s All-American, and every school in the country offered him a full scholarship.

He said he didn’t grow, he just did the ordinary things extra and that changed the direction of his life.

For a printable PDF, click here: Kenny Smith: Do the Ordinary Things Extra