Bill Walton and the 6 Degrees Breakfast

The SMBA ’11 chance was invited to the 6 Degrees Speaker Series courtesy of Mike Kitts (SMBA ’09) and the San Diego Hall of Champions. The topic for this morning’s breakfast was ‘The Business of Sports and the Impact on the Local Economy.’ The panel consisted of Andy Laats, co-founder and President of Nixon, Inc., Dave Alberga, CEO of Active Network, and Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Famer and Executive Director of CONNECT.

As guests, the SMBA ’11 class ate breakfast while listening to the panel discuss the topic. Audience members asked questions that ranged from how to further stimulate the local economy and the issue of students attending local colleges and then moving to another city.

Walton specifically mentioned the Sports MBA program at SDSU and even complimented Director Scott Minto for his work.

After the panel discussion, the SMBA ’11 class was able to have a private discussion with Bill Walton before he caught his plane to New York City. Among the wisdom he imparted:

1) “Learn how to learn and learn how to compete.”
2) “Make your competitor worry…make him lose sleep at night, because they know you’re going to outthink them.”
3) “Go for it all; don’t be afraid to fail.”
4) “Leadership is giving up your life, so that others’ dreams come true.”
5) “Don’t wait for the ball to fall in your lap, just get out there and get it.”