'Wearing the Same Jersey Doesn’t Make You a Team'

Help us improve our Daily Coach stories on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Listen to an episode, rate it, comment or email us your feedback!

As the NBA Playoffs get underway, there are few people who understand the league — and the countless hours poured into the craft, the coaching, and the culture — like Dave Wohl.

A former NBA player, head coach (including a three-year stint leading the New Jersey Nets), longtime assistant for some of the league’s most storied franchises, and former general manager of the Los Angeles Clippers, Wohl has seen nearly every facet of the game.

He’s a culture builder, two-time NBA champion, and transformational leader. But behind the accolades is a genuine, intellectually dynamic thinker. Some of that can be credited to his education at the University of Pennsylvania — but more than anything, Wohl blends intellect with humility and a childlike curiosity that leaves you deeply appreciative of his insights, grace, cultural awareness, and perspective.

The Daily Coach spoke with Wohl about cultivating an underdog mentality, developing intangible skillsets, standing up for what’s right — not just what’s easy — and the art of listening with presence.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

…

Dave, we're grateful for you doing this. Tell us about your childhood and some key lessons from it.

I was always an underdog. I was never the fastest or the strongest. I wasn’t built like LeBron, where you just physically dominate. So I developed a connection to the underdog — because when everything’s stacked against you and no one expects you to succeed, you learn to find other ways.

I realized that being an underdog doesn’t mean you can’t overcome. It just means you have to develop different attributes along the way. A big part of that growth came from staying curious. My dad was Jewish, my mom Protestant, so I didn’t grow up in a deeply religious home. But I remember something he told me around age thirteen: “People are going to hate certain groups. Your job isn’t to hate — it’s to find the good individuals in every group.

If I let hate or generalizations in, I’d miss out on meaningful relationships. I ended up playing, coaching, and working in the NBA — a league that’s about 80% Black. As a white kid in a mostly white neighborhood, I didn’t fully grasp what my dad meant at the time. But over the years, listening to teammates and coaches — hearing their real stories, not filtered through headlines — opened my eyes. That was the real education. That was transformational.

It helped me see the world more clearly — and better understand what others go through on a daily basis. So being an underdog taught me to fight — but also to stay open, stay empathetic, and never stop learning.

…

When did you realize talent alone wouldn’t be enough — and how did you start developing the mindset and habits to set yourself apart?

Most basketball players work hard at their hoop skills — shooting, passing, rebounding, dribbling — and I did the same. But my senior year in high school, I had this realization: I was a good athlete, but I wasn’t going to be the fastest guy, or the best shooter, or the best ball handler. So I had to find a different edge. I had to figure out how I could still be the best version of me and impact the game in other ways.

That’s when I started focusing on what I called my intangible skills. I tried to improve my basketball IQ, be a great teammate, develop a strong work ethic. I made it a point to always play hard, to get in better shape than anybody else so stamina could actually be something I used to my advantage.

I wanted to be a better leader. I worked on becoming mentally and physically tougher, more resilient. And honestly, I think the reason I made it to the NBA wasn’t because I was the most skilled — it was because I kept developing those intangibles. I learned how to be a star in whatever role I was given. I learned how to communicate better.

My hoop skills were good — just good enough to play at that level — but it was those other skills that really carried me. They helped me stay in the league, and they helped me transition into coaching and eventually into an executive role.

Can you take us back to a moment when you faced a difficult challenge — and had to choose between doing what was easy and doing what was right?

I was playing for the Houston Rockets — probably playing my best basketball. My best friend and his wife lived in town from high school, so I was really enjoying it. We had a decent team. And this was during Robertson v. National Basketball Association — the landmark antitrust lawsuit Oscar Robertson and the Players Association had filed against the league.

We come back from a road trip, and I get called into Ray Patterson’s office — he was the president. And he kind of yells at me. He says, “I want you to resign as the player rep of the NBA Players Association.”

I go, “Why?” And he says, “I don’t want you giving them any of your Ivy League bullsh*t.”

Now, my job as a player rep was basically just to pass out information, you know? So I said, “What are you talking about?” And he just starts yelling at me, screaming. “You’re going to resign as the player rep.”

And I said, “No, I’m not going to resign. I got elected to this, and I don’t know why you want me to step down.”

So finally he says, “If you don’t resign by tomorrow, you’re not going to play another game here. Your career is over here.”

And sure enough, the next game my minutes went from being a starter to like four minutes a game. It was one of those really important moments in my life. I remember going home, looking in the mirror — and I liked the face I saw. I liked the person looking back at me.

Because if I had resigned, it wouldn’t have sat well with me. It would’ve gone against everything I stood for. So I didn’t resign.

I didn’t play much the rest of that season. Didn’t play the following year either. Eventually I got traded. But it was a real turning point in my career — and it had nothing to do with basketball.

In the end, the players won the Robertson case. And things turned out fine for me too. But it was one of those moments where power tells you, “You’re going to do this,” with no real reason. And everybody hits one of those moments at some point — big or small — and you have to be able to live with the decision you made. I always felt good about that decision.

As both a leader and a parent, was there a specific moment that made you realize you needed to become a better listener?

My youngest daughter was about four. I was in my office typing up a scouting report, and she was behind me drawing. All of a sudden, she says, “Daddy, Daddy, look at what I drew.” I gave her a quick glance. “Oh, that looks nice, honey,” I said — and kept typing.

A couple minutes later: “Daddy, Daddy, I drew a purple horse.” Another quick look, back to work. Then came the one that hit me: “Daddy, you’re not listening to me.” You’re not supposed to get called out by your four-year-old when you’re a grown man. But she was right. I shut the computer, turned to her, and said, “I apologize. You have my full attention.”

That moment made something clear — I was a bad listener. Like a lot of people, I listened to defend my point of view or to jump in and correct someone. And if I didn’t get better, I was going to miss out on a lot of meaningful relationships.

One of the best lessons I’ve learned came from Coach Raveling (Daily Coach co-founder). He said: “Every time you have a conversation, you can make it a debate, or you can make it a conversation.” If it’s a debate, someone has to win. And even if you win, you haven’t really accomplished much.

But if it’s a conversation, the goal is to keep building — one talk leads to another, and that’s how relationships grow. To do that, you’ve got to drop your biases, be open to disagreement, and truly listen — not just with your ears, but with your body language, your tone, your attention.

Coach Raveling helped me become a better listener. And when you really listen, you learn more — because you’re actually present. We’ve all been in conversations where someone’s checking their phone or scanning the room. And we’ve all felt what that means: they’re not truly listening.

…

Part 2 of our interview with Dave Wohl releases next Saturday, April 26. We’ll explore what it takes to build — and rebuild — culture within teams and organizations, and the art of staying curious and committed to lifelong learning.

…

Let us know what you think...

Want more Daily Coach? Listen to our most popular stories on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe for free here and get daily emails like this directly in your inbox.

Is there a story or theme you'd like to see The Daily Coach dive into this year? We'd love to hear your ideas here.