05/07/2025

Why Great Leaders Embrace Humor and Playfulness

The case for humor, play and letting go

Gregg Popovich, the legendary basketball coach has retired from coaching and will be moving into a new role as the San Antonio Spurs’ president of basketball operations. I have long been a fan of Coach Pop, who has led his teams to five NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal.

All of that is remarkable, but what I loved most about Pop was his playful leadership style. He coached his teams one deadpan zinger at a time. He was known for being blunt, self-deprecating and hilarious. He would roast his players in film sessions, crack dry jokes in tense moments and drop absurd one-liners when things got too heavy. Humor wasn’t a gimmick for Coach Pop. It was how he connected.

"You get this wall that everyone sees," said Golden State Warrior Draymond Green, who won a gold medal with Coach Pop. "And it just appears as if he’s this mean old man. And he's the complete opposite. The nicest person you ever want to be around. He cares about people so much."

Please select this link to read the complete blog post from Ken Norton.