The first game of my senior year I'm in great shape
But unfortunately, I broke my foot.
I had never been hurt a day in my life
My very first game I broke my foot.
I threw me a pity party
My trainer came to me
says, "Walter, we can get you back for the big 10 season"
"We can get you back son."
"We can get you right back in 5 weeks"
I said, "Roger, when I come out of surgery
I want you to take me to the stationary bike,
put me on the bike and tape my cast to the pedal."
"But Walter when you come out of surgery
you're going to be on morphine
and you won't feel like it go back and rest"
I said, "Roger I don't have time to rest
Can you do that favour for me?
Can you take me to the stationary bike
put me on the bike and tape my cast to the pedal?"
as soon as surgery was over he carried me to the stationary bike
put me on that bike and he taped my cast to the pedal.
And I had a customary workout
that was symbolic that I don't have time to rest.
I had tears in my eyes as I pedaled that bike
and I thought to myself
I can't quit
I can't give up
I came back in 6 weeks.
We playing against the Ohio State Buckeyes
on national TV
They had a guy named Jimmy Jackson at that time.
On national TV me and Jimmy Jackson are going at it.
In the first half I have 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists
and as the first half ran out
I pulled up for my patented base line jump shot
and I felt my foot break again.
I've been trained to follow through
Every day at practice my coach would say,
"Walter, shoot it like you own it baby,
Shoot it like it's yours."
Even though I felt my foot break
I still followed through
and my last college basketball shot went in all net
because I've been trained to follow through.
You have to be disciplined every single day
and train yourself to follow through on all your fundamentals
and that's how you're going to be successful.
You have to do it when you don't feel like it.
You have to do it when you feel discouraged.
You have to do it when you don't feel healthy.
You have to do it when you're under the weather.
Every single day
you have to train yourself to focus
and commit to your business and follow through.
My college ball career was over
I got offered a job to become a hospital administrator
two year program, $75,000 job.
And right before I took the job, my daddy called me on the phone.
Let me tell you about my daddy
when I was a little boy my daddy would always pick me up.
When he came home from work, he'd pick me up.
When he saw me in the nursery after church, he'd pick me up.
No matter how long he worked, no matter how tired he was
my daddy would always pick me up.
So when I had my kids, I would always pick up my kids.
When I got home, sometimes I was tired
they'd have a bottle in one hand and they just lifted up the other hand
and they knew what daddy was supposed to do.
My job was to pick them up.
This is a spiritual interaction
when you pick up a child it is a spiritual transaction
when you pick up a child you change their perspective
when you pick up a child
all of a sudden they can see the world the way you see it
I don't care what your children have done
there is nothing they can do for you to stop picking them up.
Well, my daughter is a drug addict, I don't care, pick her up.
My son messes up, I don't care, pick him up.
I don't care.
You pick them up.
That is your job Mama,
that is your job Daddy,
that is a your job Grandma,
that is your job Granddad.
Your number one job is to pick them up
and change their perspective.
My saddest day, one day my daddy looked at me
and said, "Boy you too big, I can't pick you up anymore."
but when he couldn't pick me up physically,
he would pick me up emotionally,
he would pick me up spiritually.
I had a great dad because he would always pick me up
he would always change
my perspective.
So my daddy called me on the phone, he asked me a question
he said, "son, you had a tough year, what's next?"
I said, "Dad, I'm going to be a hospital administrator."
He said, "Not bad, but let me ask you a question son
Do you believe you're an NBA player?
You cannot produce your self image son
if you don't think so, go take the job
but if you believe you're an NBA player
go for it."
My dad had self-control and discipline and waited for my answer
and my answer was Yes.
You're right dad,
I can work the rest of my life.
But playing in the NBA is a dream
I've had ever since I was a little boy.
He said, "Go for it son."
I limped back in to my coach's office with a cast on my foot
I said, "Coach, what do I need to do to play in the NBA?"
I asked that question four years in a row.
With tears in his eyes he said,
"Son, when I recruited you I heard you was a mama's boy
but I'm here to tell you you just like your daddy."
But what, what do I need to do to play in the NBA?
He said, "Do two things and you can play in the NBA.
Lose 20 pounds and shoot a three-point shot with range, you can play in the NBA.
I think you should be a motivational speaker son, but..
If you lose 20 pounds and shoot the three-point shot with range,
you can play in the NBA.
I lost 20 pounds and every day I would shoot 500 shots a day,
every single day.
I got invited to training camp with the Dallas Mavericks
And not only did I make the team
I became the first ever undrafted rookie free agent
in the history of the Dallas Mavericks to start opening night.
Could you imagine what was going through my mind?
I had not started a basketball game since high school
I got to the arena, and they dimmed the lights, and they put the spotlight right on me
Right through the spotlight
I saw my mom, my dad and all my brothers and sisters.
They surprised me at the game.
Then I saw my dad
and I just pumped my fist
and he pumped his fist
and tears
streamed down my face
Thank you for all those timeouts
Thank you for making sure I was always home when the streetlights came on
Thank you for making sure I could always hear your voice
Thank you for always changing
my perspective.
I know
what it feels like to sit on a bench.
I know what it feels like to get knocked down.
I know what it feels like to have a hope and a dream
and nobody believes in it
but a few people.
Go for your dreams, don't live life with regrets.
I could always hear my daddy's voice
you have children, you have grandchildren.
Can your children and grandchildren hear your voice?
I could always hear my daddy's voice.
He would say go out, have a good time, play with your friends,
but don't let the streetlights beat you home.
When I started my motivational speaking business
I called my dad and said,
"Daddy, I'm going to be a motivational speaker"
He said, "Son, you think you can be successful at it?"
I said, "Yes, sir"
"You think you can make a lot of money at it?"
- I said, "Yes, sir." - He says, "Go for it."
That's all my daddy said to me
was "Go for it."
So when I think about life
when I think about my coach, one thing he did for me as a father
is to make sure I was always where I was supposed to be.
He would have me write my goals down
and he would check in periodically
basically asking me "Walter, where are you supposed to be?"
Fathers, do you realize how powerful that is?
If you ask that question of your kids,
"What are your goals?" "What is your future?"
"Who do you want to be when you grow up?"
and every now and then check in by asking the simple question
Where are you supposed to be?
The bell is ringing and I came to ring your bell
and ask you the question father, Where are you supposed to be?
And ask that question to your children
Where are you supposed to be?
And don't you quit
until you're number 1.