Mondays With McVeigh

How a physicist gave me hope when others shut down my dreams of playing in the NBA.

In college I wasn’t allowed to wear black shoes because he said it makes my feet look too slow. This week is about how I’ve been finding joy in improving on the defensive end for the first time in my life.

A season with Steven Adams at the Houston Rockets, a pound of ground beef for breakfast and a mattress on the floor. On becoming a dad, sleeping less than ever and finding more time for the things I love.

I still remember the sting of my first day as a pro. Standing on the baseline, hands on my hips, swaying side to side while the captains picked everyone else before me.

You know the voice. The one that says you’re not enough. The one that shows up right when you need to perform. The one that gets loud when everyone is watching. I hear it too. At the peak of my career, it still shows up. The difference isn’t silencing it. It’s what you do when it speaks.

I cried in my car. I yelled about the NBA. Then my performance coach gave me three steps that changed everything.

Coach called my name with four minutes left. Get a bucket. It was my life goal to score in the NBA, right there in front of me. I wanted it so badly that wanting turning into needing, and I missed everything. This is the difference between the two.

I walked into boomers camp past a wall of cameras waiting for Ben Simmons, and slipped by unnoticed. A few years ago that would have hurt, this time I was just happy to be there. This is a short one about what it feels like to belong in a room full of the best players in Australia.

At 26 years old I started writing online in preparation for my job after basketball. 2 Years later I was in the NBA.

I interview my skills trainer on how he approaches helping me get better. We discuss shooting, mental resilience, how we design drills and what it’s like working with shooting great Duncan Robinson.