Gabe Nnamdi Vincent and The years when no one is paying attention

I’m rooting for the Heat and couldn’t help but write about one of their newest stars, Gabe Nnamdi Vincent. He went undrafted out of college, played 2 years in the G league, and then signed a two way contract with the Heat in 2020. He went from playing only 9 games in the 2019-2020 season to being a key player in their road to this season’s finals.

Heat head coach, Erik Spoelstra, praised Gabe in his post game press conference following the Heat’s victory in Game 2:

“He took on, I think, the toughest role change for a young player…I think that’s the toughest thing to do in this league, is try to turn a two (guard) into a one. And he openly just embraced that. And then he struggled at times with that, because you’re trying to reinvent yourself. And instead of saying, ‘This is too tough, let me be me,’ he’s really grown the last three years. He’s just an incredible, winning player.”

How did he do it? Spoelstra said this:

“I would say that old saying that we use a lot: People severely overestimate what you can get accomplished in a day, and they grossly underestimate what you can get accomplished in a matter of months, years, when nobody is paying attention. And he’s the epitome of that.”

For most of us, it’s easy to get caught in the stuckness of setbacks and results not coming as quickly as we hoped. We know the familiar patterns - giving up, blaming circumstances, making excuses, defaulting to what we already know. We can know this about ourselves and still find it difficult to be like Gabe. It’s a courageous act to be fully responsible for creating the results we want and showing up as long as it takes.

There’s no magic strategy to avoiding the discomfort, the doubt, or the uncertainty that comes with change or daring to do anything great. I think the only real answer lies in learning to be with all that discomfort and be incredibly steadfast in our commitment.

In the moments where I encounter doubt and uncertainty in my own business, I like to picture great athletes in the years before they made it. The years when what they seem destined for now was anything but certain. This week I’m thinking about a young Gabe Vincent going undrafted. I’m picturing the mindset he must have channeled to be where he is now. I imagine the self belief and the dedication and the hard work. 

Then I ask myself and now I ask you: How will you be in the years where no one is paying attention? What are you really committed to seeing through?