David Griffin (@dg_riff) was the General Manager of The Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2017. As general manager, Griffin repositioned the organization for continued and sustainable success via the draft and trades, while managing the salary cap to sign key free agents in the summer of 2014, namely LeBron James. David Griffin helped the Cavs reach three straight NBA Finals in his three year tenure with the Cavs.

In this video, Griffin explains how Gregg Popovich uses current events with his team. Instead of analyzing game film or doing a drill in practice, he discusses current events such as black lives matter, the election, or otherwise. Not all leaders can pull that off, Griffin says, but this unique approach to coaching brings the Spurs closer together and helps them see the bigger picture of the world around them. This ability to look beyond basketball helps the Spurs legacy of sustained success through over two decades. Griffin urges coaches and leaders (particularly at the youth level) to not fear discussion of current events in practice as it can help the team learn what's important, form core values, and remember that things still matter outside of sports.