Walter Bond on the NBA, Motivation, and Mastering Success

In this inspiring episode of Uncorked: Wine-Business-Life, hosts Bill Green and Jerrold Colton welcome Walter Bond, a former NBA player turned motivational speaker. Walter’s journey from the inner city of Chicago to playing in the NBA is a story of determination, resilience, and relentless pursuit of greatness.

Walter shares his unique path, from going undrafted to becoming the first rookie free agent to start on opening night for the Dallas Mavericks. He talks about guarding Michael Jordan, playing overseas, and eventually finding his true passion as a motivational speaker. Discover how Walter transformed his setbacks into comebacks and why his father’s guidance played a crucial role in shaping his success.

Plus, enjoy a taste of Saddlehill’s 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon as Bill, Jerrold, and Walter share stories about wine, leadership, and life after professional sports. Cheers to achieving dreams and never giving up!

Introduction to Walter Bond

Welcome to Uncorked: Wine, Business, and Life with Bill Green. I'm Gerald Colton, and as always, Bill, we have an incredible guest on today, one of your neighbors down here in Boca Raton, Florida.

I am so honored to have my friend Walter Bond, who I've only known a few years. We sit here in our neighborhood and just have a good time. I recognized Walter because I think a lot of my viewers know that I'm a basketball junkie. I recognized him and he told me his name was Walter Bond.

Walter grew up in Chicago, went undrafted in 1991, and played for the Wichita Falls Texans in year one. He has tenacity, and the next thing you know, he’s playing for the Utah Jazz, the Pistons, and the Mavericks. He was a 6'5", 200-pound shooting guard.

Walter and I have this great line of communication and friendship because the man motivates me. He’s an amazing motivational speaker who speaks for major corporations and pumps up their sales people. When I need a little juice, I just go to WalterBond.com and get that motivation.

Walter, thank you for being here. I know you didn't grow up with a silver spoon, so let's talk about you.

Early Life and Family Influence

I’m from the south side of Chicago, inner city. By the way, I'm a wine junkie, too, so I guess that’s why we’re here. I love going out to Napa and coming to your winery in New Jersey.

My parents were teachers. My dad was a high school principal and my mom was a teacher. I did great in sports. I was named after my uncle who played Major League Baseball. He was 6'7", a home run hitter who went by Walt Bond. He was Aaron Judge before Aaron Judge.

He died of leukemia at 29 years old playing for the New York Mets, and my dad named me after him. Growing up, baseball was my first love. To this day, people tell me I should have played baseball. I chose the University of Minnesota because of Dave Winfield. I wanted to be Dave Winfield.

What happened was I was so focused on sports that I got distracted academically. My parents were teachers, and I went to this top academic school called Whitney Young. Michelle Obama went there; all the smartest kids in Chicago went there. It was the first time I failed.

I literally had a 2.1 GPA and flunked out of my first high school. My dad was a high school principal in the hood, and I transferred to his high school. Every day on the way to school was a coaching session. Now he's not just my dad; he's my high school principal.

The blessing was that he was an expert in developing city kids, and he realized his son needed some coaching. For two years, it was a ride to school with my high school principal. It really helped transform my mind academically.

I had it in sports; that was a natural thing. My big sister played college ball with Cheryl Miller at USC and won two national championships. We come from that kind of family, but my parents were about education and I was not toting the line. My father made the decision to transfer me to his high school.

That was a great learning experience. Contrasting that with my first high school, I was the only kid who paid for lunch. Many of my high school teammates had fathered children in high school. It was a real education on inner-city survival.

It was a great opportunity for me to learn people. Some of these kids were amazing; they were basically raising themselves and went on to do incredible things. Others just succumbed to life and pressure. To see my father be a leader on the West Side of Chicago and have an impact on the kids he could save was incredible.

I benefited the most. I was able to see and understand what my parents were teaching us as kids. My mom and dad are from the South, and education was the way out. My dad played a little pro ball, and he told me, "I don't care how good you are, you need an education for when basketball's over."

After failing in my first high school, I'm just thankful my parents were teachers and were able to cultivate me. Now I'm a thought leader, which is funny, but at the time, I just needed some extra nurturing and leadership from mom and dad.

Excellence Across Multiple Sports

I played it all: baseball, basketball, football. I was a tight end and they called me "Hands" because I didn't drop a thing. My high school football coach swears I should have played football. I played with the number one pick in the 1992 NFL Draft, a guy named Russell Maryland.

I played baseball and batted over .500 my senior year. I set a playoff record by striking out 17 in a seven-inning game as a pitcher. But in basketball, I was one of the top players in the country.

My biggest dilemma growing up was choosing a sport. I think that distracted me academically because I would daydream about playing in the Major Leagues. I would see my uncle's oil painting over the fireplace. I'm his namesake—am I going to play football? They call me "Hands." Or am I going to play basketball? At that time, Michael Jordan was breaking in with the Bulls.

When you're the youngest in an athletic family that has already produced pro athletes and Division 1 champions, and they tell you that you're the best athlete in the family, it's distracting.

Academic Rebound and Personal Values

When I failed at my first high school, my mother said something to me that I share on stage today. When I gave her my last report card at Whitney Young, she cried. I'm a mama's boy. She said, "Baby, if the teacher gives out A's, you know you can get one."

The emotion I felt was that I was the weak link on the team. My brother got an academic scholarship, my sister did well academically, and my parents were teachers. I got it done on the athletic field and did great socially, but I was the weak link academically. When I saw my mom cry, that did something to me.

From that day on, I started studying and being serious about school because I realized it was my family's core values and I wasn't completely bought in. Through failure and adversity, I eventually bought in.

Normally, guys who have a choice between baseball, football, and basketball don't choose football because it's the hardest on the body. If you have the chance to go pro in the NBA, you make the right choice. You don't make as much money in football, you beat your body up, and your career is generally shorter.

At your size, you were probably more prone to being a better football or baseball player long term. It was my body type. I just lost 55 pounds, and I'm not really built like a traditional basketball player. My biggest challenge in basketball was losing weight.

Even my college coach told me the NBA would think I was a football player trying to play basketball. Friends and coaches thought I was naturally a football or baseball player. But being a Chicago kid, it's all about basketball. You're talking about Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings, and then Michael Jordan with the Bulls. Basketball runs Chicago.

I wasn't an explosive athlete like Charles Barkley. He was a big boy, but he could move. I remember when they played Kentucky and Sam Bowie and Mel Turpin. Barkley came out and caught Mel Turpin's shot at 6'5". He had freakishly long arms and was very explosive. We're seeing Zion Williamson be that same kind of player today. I was a big boy, just not explosive athletically.

My parents never took sports away from me when I was slacking academically, though they threatened to. I was a good kid. I wasn't getting in trouble. I was the family comedian and kept everybody laughing.

I went to a tough academic school with the smartest kids in Chicago. It was like a high school Harvard. I had applied for Whitney Young and didn't get accepted, so my dad wrote a letter and got me in. Since I didn't get accepted legitimately, I was already a little defeated mentally because I felt I wasn't smart enough for those guys.

When I began to fail, my dad took some responsibility because he had pushed me in that direction. They weren't angry; they were disappointed because they knew I was smart but wasn't applying myself.

My dad told my mom, "Give him to me." She worried because his high school was in the hood, but he said he would be fine. It was a risky recalibration. People in Chicago asked if he was crazy for having his son go to that school. My dad’s stance was that if he was the principal, he had to believe in the school enough for his own child to attend.

College Recruitment and the University of Minnesota

I eventually wound up at Minnesota. I got my academic life together quickly and turned a 2.1 into a 2.9. I began getting recruited across the country. My dad's high school had a great basketball team. I played with Randy Brown, who played for the Bulls and the Kings.

We played King High School when they were number one in the country with the top player, Marcus Liberty. We beat them and I outplayed him. My recruiting exploded. Michigan, UCLA, Arizona, and Wisconsin all came in.

During the process, my dad told me this was a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision. He told me to choose the school that would bless me 40 years from now. My sister went to USC and never came back to Chicago. He knew I wasn't coming home either.

Minneapolis has 22 Fortune 500 companies and a great business environment. We were the only Division 1 school in the state before the Timberwolves. Kevin McHale, Mychal Thompson, and Trent Tucker walked around like pro athletes. We had access to the business community. They sold us on the idea that if you don't play pro ball, you can have a nice career in business there.

The Reality of the Professional Athlete

When I got done with the NBA, Jerry Sloan cut me one day. It took five seconds. He said, "Check with the trainer. He has your plane ticket. We're going in a different direction."

It was devastating. I never knew how heartless getting cut from the NBA could be. It was right after practice in front of the team. I cried like a little baby once I got back to my home.

I saw it coming a little bit. We had a second-round pick named Jamie Watson who was incredibly athletic. John Stockton and Karl Malone were getting older, so they were trying to get more athletic players around them. I was a good basketball player with a high IQ, but I was an average athlete for the NBA.

I played overseas in Italy, Greece, and Germany. The tough thing about going overseas is getting your mind around the fact that you aren't playing in the NBA anymore. You dreamt about the NBA, not Italy or Germany. When you finally sign that contract, it's emotional.

You get over there and there is a language barrier, but they make a big deal when you arrive. I had a press conference as soon as I got off the plane. I played in Greece with Dominique Wilkins, David Rivers, and Walter Berry. Eventually, you start enjoying the culture and the food. I was making great money and my wife was enjoying herself.

The Chicago Connection and Facing Michael Jordan

While we're talking about Italy, let's try this wine. This is a 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon by Saddle Hill in New Jersey. It's good stuff, definitely worth more than the 40 bucks it costs.

I'm a Chicago kid, and growing up, my brother and I would argue with my father because he loved Oscar Robertson. Toward the end of Michael Jordan's career, my dad went silent. He wouldn't concede, but he stopped projecting Oscar as the best. He realized Mike was different.

One day, I had to guard him. He has such a persona. His skin is so dark it’s almost intimidating, and he looks at you like a warrior predator. Once you get over that, you just go, because if you don't, you don't deserve to be there.

People ask what it was like to play against him. I tried to kick his butt. I didn't talk smack or try to provoke him, because that’s the worst thing you can do. He and Kobe were probably the two most competitive athletes the NBA ever saw.

I think professional sports are made up of entertainers, performers, or competitors. Deion Sanders, Barkley, and Muhammad Ali were performers. They competed, but primarily they were performers. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were competitors. They were killers. You didn't want to provoke Michael; he could drop 80 on you just like that.

Retirement and the Broadcasting Experiment

I was flying back from Germany after a great year playing for Bayer Leverkusen. I took a team that was supposed to finish last to the Final Four. My wife was a corporate woman and we had three kids. I looked around on that flight and realized I was done.

When I got back to Minneapolis, I told my agent I wanted to make one more run at the NBA. The Utah Jazz said if Shandon Anderson signed elsewhere, they would bring me in. I worked out all summer.

One day, Chris Carr told me Shandon had signed with Houston. I ran home and told my wife we were going back to Utah. Then my agent called and said they changed their mind. They wanted an extra big guy and were going to sign Pete Chilcutt.

It felt like someone punched me in the face. I plopped on the couch and cried. I told my wife I was done. About a year later, the Minnesota Timberwolves called. I thought it was for a comeback, but it was the communications director. He asked if I wanted to broadcast for them.

I broadcasted on radio for a year and then TV for a year, but I did not enjoy it. In a small market like Minnesota, the pay wasn't what I thought it would be, but the lifestyle was intense. You're traveling and broadcasting every game, so you don't have time to augment your income.

The game notes are incredibly thick. You have to know what high school Allen Iverson went to and that his cousin is Michael Vick. I just didn't care that much. I had to go into the locker room for post-game interviews and some of the younger players didn't even know I had played in the league. They could be a little disrespectful and cocky.

On radio, you're on the air for five hours. You do the pregame, the first half, the halftime show, the second half, and then the post-game show. You're at the arena from 5:00 until 10:30 and you only get to go to the restroom once.

I remember when the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in Minnesota in 2018. That was the coldest I've ever been. The city has those skyways from building to building so you don't have to go outside. Minnesotans are smart; they only invite you to town from May through October. Outside of the weather, it’s an incredible community.

The Transition to Motivational Speaking

Part of my contract was going around town to speak on behalf of the Timberwolves. I loved that. My college coach, Clem Haskins, had told me I should be a motivational speaker. I told my wife we should launch a speaking business, and the rest is history.

I thank the Timberwolves for letting me walk away from basketball on my own terms and giving me the exposure that transitioned me into my purpose.

This week, I spoke for Tenneco, one of the largest automotive part manufacturers, for 400 of their leaders. Sometimes it’s sales teams or entire companies. The topics are fundamental and depend on the client.

A great speaker is a storyteller. I call it the "Hot Dog Theory." A great hot dog is a combination of a great frankfurter and a perfect bun. The frankfurter is your content and the bun is the story you wrap it in. You want the perfect balance so the lesson is clear. Everyone has a story, and no one can duplicate yours.

Persistence and the Path to the NBA

I never let my kids boo athletes. It takes so much to make it to that level. To be undrafted and make it to the NBA is incredible.

That's part of my story. I didn't start in college; I came off the bench. Every year, I asked my coach what I needed to do to play in the NBA. My freshman year, I didn't play. My sophomore and junior years, I was a top six-man. My senior year, I broke my foot twice. My story did not say "NBA."

I share that so audiences know that no matter their situation, they can still win. As long as there was breath in my body, I was going to the NBA. My buddy Mike Davis, who coached me in the CBA, told me I wanted it so bad it scared him. That was my childhood dream and I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't achieve it.

Let's try this second wine. This is a 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. It’s a bit darker with more fruit.

Wine grew on me later in life. My wife and her friends were going to Napa and I was the designated driver. Next thing I know, I’m in the winery having a great time. I had never had high-quality wine hit my palate before. Now I love it, but unfortunately, I know the difference now.

Entrepreneurship and Life Lessons

Walter, you wrote down those goals when you were 16. You achieved the first couple. You've also written a few books. The first was All Buts: How to Live Your Best Life and Eliminate Excuses. Then came Swim, which is a best seller, and Cultivate. I’m finishing the fourth book now, called Accelerate.

Regarding the goal of making more money in business than in sports—we hit that in the first three years. That is a hard thing to do and a goal most NBA players wouldn't even set. Their goal is usually just to keep the money they have.

I tell young athletes that their life after sports will hopefully be much longer than their career playing them. For you, basketball was everything until you were 30, but there is so much life after that.

I’m thankful to my dad for getting me on the right path. When I left college with a cast on my foot, I had a job offer to be a hospital administrator. My dad asked if I thought I was good enough to play in the NBA. I told him I didn't even start in college and only averaged seven points.

He said, "You told me you were going to graduate in four years and you did. But you also told me you were going to play in the NBA." He told me to go for it. I ended up in the WBL making 200 bucks a game. Then I was a sixth-round pick in the CBA, the 99th player taken.

I made the All-Rookie team and the next year I tried out for the Mavericks. My dad said we were driving to Dallas. I asked why he wouldn't just send me a plane ticket. He said, "No, you aren't going to try out for that team. You're going to make that team. Pack the car."

We drove to Dallas and he put that mentality in me. I made the team and became the first undrafted rookie free agent to start on opening night. You’re the American Dream, Walter. To Walter and his father—cheers.