Inman know Drexler would be such a star when so many other teams let him slide by?
As a giver, Inman was open to outside advice. While at San Jose State, Inman met Bruce Ogilvie,
a pioneer in sports psychology who “came onto the sports scene when psychologists were referred to
as ‘shrinks’ and any player going to visit one was seen as a problem.” Most general managers and
coaches avoided psychologists like Ogilvie, approaching the so-called science skeptically. Some
viewed psychological assessment as irrelevant; others worried that it would threaten their own
expertise and standing.
Whereas takers often strive to be the smartest people in the room, givers are more receptive to
expertise from others, even if it challenges their own beliefs. Inman embraced Ogilvie and his
methods with open arms, requiring players to undergo several hours of evaluation before the draft.
Inman worked with Ogilvie to assess players on their selflessness, desire to succeed, willingness to
persevere, receptivity to being coached, and dedication to the sport. Through these assessments,
Inman could develop a deep understanding of a player’s tendencies toward grit and giving. “Other
NBA teams were taking psychological looks at draftable players, but none to the degree that we used
it and trusted it,” Inman said. “You had to like the talent before you would consider it in your
evaluation. But it provided a clear barometer as to whether the guy would fulfill his potential.”
When Ogilvie assessed Drexler, Inman was impressed with his psychological profile. Inman
interviewed the coaches who had seen Drexler play at Houston, and there was a consistent theme:
Drexler played like a giver. “Clyde was the glue on that team. I was taken by the almost unanimous
reaction from other coaches in that league,” Inman explained. “They said he did what he had to do to
win a game. His ego never interfered with his will to win.” According to Bucky Buckwalter, who
was then a scout, “There was some reluctance from teams... He was not a great shooter.” But Inman
and his team decided that Drexler could “learn to shoot from the perimeter, or somehow make up for
it with his other talents.” Inman was right: Drexler “turned out to be a more skilled player... than I
would have expected,” Buckwalter said.
Even Inman’s bad bets on the basketball court have gone on to success elsewhere; the man knew a
giver when he saw one. LaRue Martin has worked at UPS for twenty-five years, most recently as the
community services director in Illinois. In 2008, he received a letter out of the blue from former
Blazers owner Larry Weinberg: “you certainly are a wonderful role model in the work you are doing
for UPS.” Martin has played basketball with President Obama, and in 2011, he was elected to the
board of directors of the Retired Players Association. “I would love to be able to give back,” Martin
said.
And remember Terry Murphy, Inman’s worst player at San Jose State? Inman gave Murphy a
chance but didn’t see a future for him in basketball, so he encouraged him to go out for volleyball.
Inman was spot-on about his work ethic: Murphy ended up making the U.S. national volleyball team.
But Murphy didn’t leave basketball behind altogether: in 1986, to raise money for the Special
Olympics, he started a three-on-three street basketball tournament in Dallas. By 1992, Hoop It Up had
more than 150,000 players and a million fans. Five years later, there were 302 events in twenty-seven
different countries, raising millions of dollars for charity.
Perhaps the best testament to Inman’s success is that although he missed out on Michael Jordan as
a player, he outdid Jordan as a talent evaluator. As a basketball executive, Jordan has developed a
reputation that conveys more taker cues than giver. This was foreshadowed on the court, where
Jordan was known as self-absorbed and egotistical. As Jordan himself once remarked, “To be
michael s
(Michael S)
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