You Can’t Download a Crossover

🏀 You Can’t Download a Crossover 

A few weeks ago, while my son was at a Nike Basketball camp, I found myself sitting in the corner of the gym, watching kids ages 8 to 16 run drills all day. To pass the time, I cued up a MasterClass from Mike Krzyzewski — better known as Coach K.

For anyone not steeped in basketball history, Coach K is one of the most respected coaches and leaders in US Basketball. He coached Duke University to five national championships, led the U.S. Men’s National Team to three Olympic gold medals, and is often cited as one of the greatest coaches of all time.

In the class, one line jumped out at me:

“You can’t download an app and suddenly have a crossover [dribble].”

Sitting there in the bleachers, watching kids grind through drills, I realized how perfectly that line applies not only to sports but also to the world we’re navigating with AI, careers, and marketing.

I’ve said for a while now that using AI to just do more stuff misses the point. It should free you up to leverage and develop the skills that will make you stand out in the new age of digital messaging. With this in mind, here are four thoughts worth carrying forward:

1. Trust Still Leads

AI can mimic a lot, but it can’t replace human trust. The facade has changed — the interfaces are slicker, the outputs faster — but people will still call on colleagues they rely on, and they’ll still lean on experts they know deliver. You can’t download an app to learn how to navigate a tense client meeting or to build credibility across a global team. Those skills are earned in the messy, human part of work.

There’s also the interesting problem of having more and more AI content on (formerly) trusted channels. The more an audience suspects they are reading AI content, the less they like it and the more negative the individual or company is perceived. This is where you will have to balance how you use AI and how you automate your operations to make your processes quicker without sacrificing your relationships or brand perception.

2. The Mamba Mentality in Careers

In our house, a Kobe Bryant poster hangs outside my son’s room with a quote about the “Mamba Mentality” on it:

It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you were the day before.

Every morning, we pass it on the way downstairs. Every night, before bed, we see it again. That rhythm is the real competitive edge. Not just in basketball, but in careers. AI might automate tasks, but the drive to improve a little each day is what makes someone stand out.

Just like the 8-year-olds who are trying to dribble between their legs like the older kids, you will have to sit there and try new things to get better. Finding that one thing to work on to improve your game is what’s behind all of the development programs offered by companies, but it’s up to each of us to find what we need to do.

Even if you find yourself needing to be just a little taller like the 8-year-olds, trying to master a new part of your game each week/quarter/month is massively important. Especially now with AI sucking up some of the tasks that make up many of the tactical marketing roles.

3. Do the Work Behind the Work

Here’s the catch with AI: you still have to know enough to recognize whether its answer is any good. That requires expertise, judgment, and the willingness to keep sharpening your craft. The leaders who thrive aren’t the ones who outsource their thinking — they’re the ones who put in the work behind the work: being present, making teammates feel seen, and creating space for good ideas to surface.

There’s a great story of the 2008 USA Men’s basketball team. While they were practicing before the games in China, the team was in Las Vegas. A few of the guys decided to go out one night and party and have a good time. They came back into the hotel around five in the morning and as they approached the elevators to go to sleep, Kobe Bryant was coming off the elevators with his weightlifting gloves to work out before their practice that morning. Seeing Kobe putting in the extra work set the tone for the other players who started joining him for early morning reps before the official practice began.

4. Progress Is Never Efficient

And here’s the big one. The best outcomes don’t come from chasing maximum efficiency. They come from reps: taking bad shots in practice, missing free throws, getting elbowed, and showing up again tomorrow. In marketing and leadership, the same rule applies. You only find the winning strategy by experimenting, failing, and refining.

If you want a chance to win at the highest levels you need to put in the work, and the extra reps, to do so. AI can help accelerate the process, but if you’re not willing to put in the daily practice you’ll never be ready to sink the game-winning three.

Takeaway for Marketers

• AI is a tool, not a shortcut.

• Trust, judgment, and persistence are the real differentiators.

• Don’t chase efficiency for its own sake — chase progress.

Coach K was right: you can’t download a crossover. You earn it. And the same holds true for marketing and careers in the AI era.