Steve Hawes played 10 years (1974-84) in the NBA for the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, and Seattle Supersonics, scoring over 5,000 points and grabbing over 4,000 rebounds. Before that, Hawes starred at the University of Washington and is still ranked as their sixth highest scorer and rebounder. His nephew, Spencer Hawes, currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers and honors his Uncle Steve by wearing the same jersey number.

In this clip, Hawes explains two life lessons he learned in sports that he still carries with him today, 40 years after retiring. Sports taught him lessons of leadership and dealing with adversity, described below:

1) As a basketball player and later as a businessman, Hawes learned that everyone could be a leader given their attitude and approach to a situation
2) Hawes learned early that putting things behind him and not dwelling on the past enabled him to overcome tough moments and learn for the future.

Learning these skills were not only important in growing as a young athlete, but they also taught him valuable business skills that he used later as an adult.

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