Lead Like a Champion: Leadership Lessons from the OKC Thunder

In this episode, Sean analyzes the leadership lessons that brought an NBA title to a small market team with no “purchased” superstars- the Oklahoma City Thunder. He presents four biblical leadership lessons that will help us all lead like a champion!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Good morning everybody. This is Sean Copeland. Today is Sunday,
June the twenty ninth, and welcome to another brand new,
life changing edition of the ninety four x Kingdom Driven CEO.
Thank you, thank you. So I'm so excited to be

(00:29):
with you guys this morning. It was a big week
in Oklahoma and in our lives. So the Thunder won
the World Championship. They beat the Indiana Pacers in the
NBA finals, and I want to just say we have
listeners from all over the world, and for those of
you Indiana Pacers fans, your team is remarkable and I

(00:52):
am so so sorry about the injury to your star
player Halliburton. It could have been a different outcome for Oklahoma.
We are just so proud of the Oklahoma City Thunder
and I'm going to talk about them here in just
a moment. But this week we also had a big
call on a stock offering for our bank, Regent Bank,

(01:15):
and so that was fun. We had a great response
to that. Then we had our board meeting on Thursday,
and then Angela and I headed up to the Lake
on Friday afternoon and yesterday to spend a little time
together and it was wonderful. So I'm so excited to
be back with you, and today, speaking of the Oklahoma
City Thunder, we're going to talk a little bit about

(01:37):
the Thunder. They were remarkable, not just because they won
the NBA Finals, but because they had such an amazing
team chemistry. And we all know that this all comes
from leadership. You cannot have a team of NBA superstars,
put them all together and have them get along with

(02:01):
drama like they did in such an amazing teamwork without
phenomenal leadership. So today we're going to talk about how
to lead like a champion, leadership lessons from the Oklahoma
City Thunder. And I will tell you watching that NBA Finals,

(02:21):
I had chills and tears and maybe even a few
dance moves at the end that my kids begged me
never to do again. But beyond that celebration, the Thunder's
journey gives you and I something deeper, a real world
example of what godly leadership looks like. The team was

(02:42):
built and not bought. It was a small market team
that did not rely on superstars chasing rings, but on vision, unity, humility,
and hard work. And today I want to explore four
leadership lessons from the Oklahoma City Thunder lessons that line
beautifully with scripture and with how Jesus calls us to lead. So,

(03:04):
whether you're leading a company, a classroom, your family, or
your friend group, you were born to lead like a champion.
And here are four key leadership lessons that we learn
from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before I jump in. Part
of what inspired this with me is you don't see
a lot of great leadership examples today. We see a

(03:28):
lot of poor leadership examples. And so I started really
studying the leadership of the Thunder, from Sam Presty to
Mark Dagnault, all the way down to Shay and j
Dubb and all of the rest of the team. And
what I found were four keys. And number one, the

(03:49):
first key is they had vision that inspires. They could
see beyond the now. When Sam Presty, who's the thunders GM,
started re building the Thunder, critics laughed at him, they
called it a teardown, but pressed he saw something that
others didn't, a championship in the making. While others focused

(04:10):
on the moment, he focused on the future and the mission.
And that is leadership, that is faith. People don't remember
those very difficult days. I will admit I even looked
at this and went, man, they're trading away all their
stars and they're starting with this super young team. We

(04:30):
were just getting killed. I believe they had twenty four
wins a few years back, one of the lowest in
the NBA. But Proverbs twenty nine to eighteen says, where
there is no vision, the people perish. Habakuk two too
tells us to write the vision and make it plain.
Jesus did this constantly. When he met Simon, he didn't

(04:53):
say you're a fisherman. He said you're a rock. When
he saw Zachias in a tree, he didn't just see
a tax call. He saw a son of Abraham with
great purpose. Vision lifts us from what is to what
could be. And when our vision is anchored in Christ,
we build something eternal. So, just like the thunder, I

(05:15):
want to ask you today, what is the vision God
has placed in your heart for your family, or your workplace,
or your personal walk with him? Write it down, pray
over it, and don't just give up because others don't
see it yet. What I see I am fifty two
years old, and what I see is that a lot

(05:35):
of people my age or older have lost their vision.
They are just going through the motions because they think
their life is largely over and their time for impact
is over. And it is not whether you are fifty, sixty,
eighty ninety, it doesn't matter if you are still on
this earth. God has a purpose for you. So I

(05:57):
want to encourage you to rediscover your vis vision and
what God intends for your life. What is His purpose
for your life? Number two, The Thunder had culture that unifies.
They practiced we over me. The Thunder's locker room had
something rare, no drama, no egos, just to shared belief

(06:19):
in each other. And that is culture, not what's printed
on the wall, but what's practiced in the hall. Matthew
five point sixteen says, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your
Father in heaven. As Christian leaders, our culture should reflect
integrity when no one is watching. It should reflect encouragement

(06:42):
instead of gossip, humility over arrogance, and grace over grudges.
Jesus didn't just talk culture, he modeled it. He washed feet,
he welcomed children, he lifted women, he embraced outcasts. He
created a culture of honor and belonging in your team,
whether it's a staff, a church, committee, or your household.

(07:05):
Don't just measure the temperature set it. Leaders should be
the thermostat We should set the temperature. We don't need
a title to create a culture and change a culture.
We need consistency, compassion, and the courage to live what
you believe. And I think part of the reason we

(07:26):
all love the Thunder so much is because they modeled
the culture of Jesus. They were so selfless. Number three
teamwork that elevates. Everyone has a role. Shay gilgis Alexander
is brilliant. He is an amazing once in a generation talent,

(07:46):
but he did not win alone. Check Holgren chet Holmgren
block shots. Jalen Williams made critical plays and had huge games.
Alex Caruso and Lou Dort played crazy defense to shut
down the other team's best offensive players. The bench guys
all hustled, the coaches strategized. Every person mattered. Paul writes

(08:12):
in One Corinthians twelve twenty seven, Now you are the
body of Christ, and each one of you is a
part of it, and the Kingdom of God. The pastor
is important, no more important than the janitor. The CEO
in our company needs, the teller needs, the personal banker needs,
the prayer warrior, the greader in the lobby matters just
as much as the one preaching upfront or leading the company.

(08:35):
When we empower each other, when we serve and support
without comparison or competition, the body functions as God designed
it to. Leadership isn't about doing it all. It's about unlocking
what is inside of others. So look around you. Who
can you lift up? Who's on your team that needs

(08:56):
a word of encouragement, a second chance, more responsibil more opportunity,
or just someone to say, we can't do this without you.
I want to encourage you as a leader to think
more of yourself as a coach and not as the
star player on the team. And finally, selflessness that wins

(09:18):
served to lead. What made this Thunder team special wasn't
just their talent, it was their humility. They didn't fight
for the spotlight. They celebrated each other. They passed up
good shots for great ones. They cared more about we
than me. In fact, there was one play in the
in the finals where Alex Caruso had a wide open layup,

(09:41):
and he flipped it back to Shay Gilgess Alexander because
that's how that's how unselfish they were and how selfless
they were. And he got fined for passing it back
because that's not normal, because they thought he was trying
to pad Shay statistics, and he was. They just played

(10:02):
with a selflessness that was not normal. Philippians two three says,
do nothing out of selfish ambition, but in humility consider
others better than yourselves. In Matthew twenty twenty eight, Jesus said,
the son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve. Let me read that again. The son

(10:23):
of Man, the King of the world, the creator of
the world, God in human form, did not come to
be served but to serve. That is how you and
I need to live. Jesus didn't demand honor, He stooped
to serve. And that is true greatness. If you want

(10:46):
to be a great leader in your home, your business,
your ministry, don't chase applause, chase towels, look for feet
to wash, not thrones to set on. Because when we
stop focusing on what we can get and start focusing
on what we can give God shows up. People follow
selfless leaders because they reflect Jesus. So let me share

(11:11):
one final thought after the thunder one Alex Caruso shared
something profound. As the oldest player on the team, he said,
most teams learn through losses, but this team, this team
learned through success. We often say that failure is life's
best teacher, and that's true, but it's equally important to
learn from our victories. When God gives you a win,

(11:35):
don't waste it. Ask how did I get here? What
was I doing when I was most aligned with God's will?
What choices brought peace, purpose and joy into my life?
Because if we only reflect when things fall apart, we'll
miss the opportunity to grow when things are coming together.
So today, let your losses shape you, but let your

(11:57):
wins remind you, and let crist lead you always. Matthew
twenty twenty six says, whoever wants to become great among
you must be your servant. The Oklahoma City thunder gave
us a blueprint, but Jesus, Jesus gave us the model.

(12:18):
So wherever God has placed you in the office, in
your home and the community, or even in a locker room,
lead like Jesus, with vision, with culture, with teamwork, and
with humility. Let's lead like a champion, because in Christ,
that is exactly what you are. Please about with me

(12:38):
this morning. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the example
of the Oklahoma City Thunder. We are always looking for
examples of godly leadership. And I thank you that this team,
through all of its challenges and through all of the
big names and through all of the big page chose

(13:01):
to lead and live like you with humility, with selflessness. Father.
They were remarkable. So Father, help us to model this
in our own lives. Help us to be servant leaders
that lead with humility and look to build others up
and not ourselves. Help us not to chase applause, help

(13:26):
us to chase you. We love you so much. In
Jesus' name, Amen and everybody, I want to thank you
so much for joining this very special and important edition
of the ninety four x Kingdom Driven CEO. If this
is your first time listening to us, we have new
content every Sunday morning by noon. The content is never

(13:48):
more than fifteen minutes long, and we try to focus
on biblical principles in leadership. Thank you for joining us today.
God bless you attachmentertainment