May 18, 2026

259: Good Things Don’t Happen by Accident | NBA Champion Wayne Simien

15 minutes

Wayne Simien is an NBA champion for the Miami Heat and two-time All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year for the Kansas Jayhawks. He currently serves as Associate Athletics Director of Strategic Engagement for KU. Wayne also works as a broadcaster for KU Men’s and Women’s basketball on ESPN+. Before joining Kansas athletics, Wayne spent 12 years in campus ministry. He and his wife Katie are the parents of five children.

In this episode we discuss the following:

Good things don’t happen by accident. Whether good health, meaningful relationships, or a flourishing career, all of them require work. And often a coach who is guiding us and pushing us and a team that holds us accountable.

Competitiveness is more about having the drive to prepare than having the desire to win.

From Bill Self Wayne learned the importance of toughness as a leadership trait. By making practice harder than the games, players develop resiliency and grit on a day-to-day basis.

From Roy Williams Wayne learned that long term success comes from commitment to a system. Ten years after leaving KU, Roy was winning national championships at North Carolina built around his same system.

And what an amazing lesson Wayne learned from Pat Riley. After winning the NBA championship with Hall of Famers, Shaq, Gary Payton, Alonzo Mourning, and Dwyane Wade, the first drill they did the next year was the basic three man weave.

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By Nate Meikle

4.9