[Michael Redd on X] I Played 12 Years in the NBA. Here's Why Team Business Stays Team Business
This is from an X article he posted which I can't link:
"Been thinking about something, something sticking to my ribs from yesterday that I think needs to be said.
What happens in an NBA locker room should stay in the locker room. What gets said on the team plane should stay on the team plane. Team business is team business.
That's not me on some get-off-my-lawn NBA OG old school code. That's how you build trust on a professional team.
When you've got a group of twelve guys trying to win together, trust is everything. The second guys stop feeling safe to be themselves, to mess up, to have tough conversations behind closed doors, it's a wrap on the brotherhood. And without brotherhood, you're just coworkers showing up to collect a (big) check. And that stinks.
Look, I'm not saying there shouldn't be accountability or that guys shouldn't follow the rules. Quite the opposite. Have those conversations. Call each other out when someone's out of line. Get in each other's face if you need to.
But handle it in-house.
Guy's constantly late to the plane? Pull him aside. Someone's not showing up to shootaround? Handle it internally. Coach not addressing something you think needs to be addressed? Go to a veteran leader. Go to the coach yourself. That's what the family is for.
If someone else isn't handling it, you handle it in-house. Go to the person directly. That's what teammates do. Bringing it outside the family should be a last resort, if that. Don't do it on a podcast, and certainly don't do it for clicks and views. 'Cause here's what you gain from airing team business publicly: nothing. You get some ad revenue. Maybe some headlines. Cool.
Here's what you lose: trust. Your good standing with teammates. And eventually, wins.
I've seen teams fall apart because guys stopped trusting each other. The talent was there, but the chemistry wasn't. When free agency comes around, guys remember who kept it in-house and who didn't. Front offices and coaches do, too.
The locker room is sacred. Keep it that way.
Am I wrong here?"