Nothing but Networking: How to Score a Job in the NBA

Job: Video Coordinator for the National Basketball Association
Salary Range: $50,000 to $60,000
Worker: Jimmy Bradshaw
Age: 26
Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics
Company: Washington Wizards

Young hoops fans dream about someday sharing the court with the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry. Most never make it to the pros, of course, and grow up to root for their favorite team from the stands. But an enterprising few build other kinds of careers in the industry, immersing themselves in the competitive sports culture they love while also taking home a paycheck.

Among those is Jimmy Bradshaw. Raised in Northern Virginia, he played Division III basketball for Roanoke College, then worked as a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team at Lehigh University while earning his master’s degree in economics there. Savvy networking landed him an internship with the Washington Wizards. The 26-year-old is now the team’s video coordinator and playing development assistant. That means he’s an entry-level coach who spends his days practicing with NBA stars and helping them strategize about how to beat their opponents.

During a recent five-game, 12-day road trip with the team, Bradshaw described the perks and challenges of being part of the coaching staff for a professional basketball team and offered advice for those who aspire to follow his career path.

What does an NBA video coordinator do?

My assistant video coordinator and I team up with our assistant coaches to produce the scouting report for each upcoming opponent. The finished product is a one-page, front-and-back report. We talk about what plays the other team is going to run, what defensive coverage we need to be in and how we’re going to guard certain situations depending on the time of the game. We’re reinforcing what their strengths and weaknesses are.

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As a kid, what jobs appealed to you?

I’ve always wanted to do something with sports. Of course every player’s dream is to play professional sports and when that doesn’t become a reality, certainly I wanted to coach.

What steps did you take to break into the sports industry after playing basketball in college?

At Lehigh, I did a lot of video work. Because we didn’t have a big staff, I was given a lot of responsibility as it pertained to video. That pretty much gave me the skill set needed to do the stuff that I do with the Wizards right now in terms of video and analyzing basketball.

After my first year at Lehigh, I sent resumes, cover letters and some of my video work to all the NBA teams and just consistently followed up with them throughout the summer. I was probably able to talk to eight or 10 of them over the phone as an introduction.

After my second year at Lehigh, I went out to Las Vegas for the Summer League, so I got the chance to meet a lot of these people I had been talking to face to face. The four or five video guys I kept in touch with at the time, they told me that an opportunity was opening in Washington. It just so happened there was kind of a mutual connection both through one of our assistants at Lehigh and also just through my networking. I was able to get an interview with the Wizards.

I came down for an interview, and I happened to be chosen amongst four or five candidates. That’s essentially how I got the job with the Wizards. I landed an internship three years ago, and I’ve been fortunate enough to progress through the organization.

When did you realize you could actually make a career in coaching?

After I got my first full-time job with the Wizards, the year after the internship.

It’s tough to get jobs in general in sports. I think each little job that I’ve gotten has been a little bit of a success point. The graduate assistantship at Lehigh, that was the first step on the ladder.

Then getting that internship with the Wizards, because there’s only 30 NBA teams and not every NBA team has an internship. You’ve got all these people applying. That was another benchmark to make.

I liked economics too; I spent six years studying it. I definitely considered getting an advanced degree past a master’s degree because I enjoyed it so much. This opportunity sealed the deal for me to go in a sports direction.

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What kind of communication skills should you have to succeed in your position?

Written communication skills but more importantly verbal communication skills. While these players will read the reports, I think they get more out of it if you’re able to sit with them one-on-one and explain what you have on that scouting report.

How about soft skills?

Work ethic. You will be working long hours, especially during the season.

You need to be willing to do anything they ask of you. There can’t be anything that’s too big or too small for you to do. Especially as a video person, it’s the bottom of the coaching staff, and that’s how you work your way up, so you gotta be willing to do anything the coaches ask of you and do it willingly.

And what technical skills do you need?

Video and scouting report technology is probably the most important, using our video software. Knowing how to use Excel; it’s useful but it’s not an end-all, be-all if you don’t know it.

What are the perks of the job?

You get to work in sports, that’s the biggest perk for me.

I’ve always enjoyed the fact that all your co-workers like the same thing that you like and the friendships that come because of that.

The competitive nature. Always having played sports, I have a competitive desire, and this job 100 percent meets that.

What are the challenges of getting a job like yours and staying in the field?

It’s very relationship-oriented, so you have to know people. There are 30 teams in the NBA, so there are very few jobs open for coaches or video people like myself. It’s not so much giving them a resume. You actually have to have built a relationship with these people so they know who you are.

The good thing is, it’s a tight network, so if you do a good job with one coach, he’ll know if a job opening comes up and give you a good recommendation.

[See: Don’t Be That Guy (or Gal): 8 Networking Turn-Offs.]

Where do you see yourself in a few years?

Anyone thinks about what they want to be doing five or 10 years down the road, but I think it’s also important to stay in the present and do good in your job right now.

I’d like to be a head coach at some level, whether it’s college or even high school. The NBA is tough, but that’s the ultimate dream.

What advice do you have for someone who thinks, ‘I would love to be a video coordinator’?

A lot of these people are probably players right now. I would suggest trying to continue their playing career at the college level. Even if it isn’t Division I.

If you really do want to be a coach, it’s about networking to get in the door. Go up to your mentors in basketball who you’ve looked up to. Get their take on how they got started, that really helped me. The best was hearing how my coaches got started.

Persistence. Especially trying to work in a field you really want to work in, like sports, that’s very competitive and has not a lot of opportunities, I think you gotta be persistent. I had interviewed with three or four other teams before the Wizards that I didn’t get, realizing at the time it’s just a numbers game and an opportunity will pop up if I continue to press on and network with other teams.

Being that willing, hardworking person is about as good a formula as there is.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

The salary range is based on information from Glassdoor.com and Jimmy Bradshaw.

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Nothing but Networking: How to Score a Job in the NBA originally appeared on usnews.com

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