S2, Ep 1: The Mental Part IS The Hard Work: Manning Sumner and Shaun Livingston

The Big Dawgs

*NEW YEAR, NEW SEASON*

In this episode of The Big Dawgs podcast, Manning Sumner welcomes Shaun Livingston, a former NBA player recruited out of high school turned seasoned basketball executive. With an impressive career playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors, he currently holds a position in the Player Association.

In this compelling episode, Shaun and Manning take a nostalgic journey back to their training days when Manning played a pivotal role in Shaun's recovery post-knee injury. Together, they delve into the transformative process of pushing physical and mental boundaries. They also emphasize the significance of an accountable team, the different leadership styles, and managing conflicts in business and relationships. The conversation unfolds to explore Shaun's remarkable NBA journey, highlighting the crucial role of consistency, since success can breed complacency.

Manning expresses the takeaway to be, “When you’re in it, when you’re going through hell, when you’re going through struggles, obstacles, setbacks, it’s going to feel like eternity, your days are going to feel longer. But if you can just keep showing up for yourself, if you can just keep going, once you get on the other side of it, you’re going to look back on it you’re going to be like oh that was nothing. That flew by.” This episode honors the value of the “No Days Off” and “Big Dawg” mentality, reflecting resilience, consistency, hard work, and the relentless pursuit of personal development.