There is No “I” in Team, But There is a “Me.”
Swen Nater

“There is no ‘I’ in team.” We’ve all read or heard this statement. But is it true?
 
In all fairness to those that use the quote, what they mean is: Teamwork wins and teamwork happens when every player eagerly and consciously lets go of any personal gain. It happens when all players are committed to the welfare of the group, above their own personal goals, wishes, or agenda. It happens when a group of players is so united in purpose, no one cares who receives the credit for anything positive that happens and they share the blame for the negatives.

If that is true, what do we make of Coach Wooden’s statement,

“The best thing you can do for the team is to improve yourself.”?

No one believed more in pure teamwork than Coach. In fact, his definition, from the Pyramid of Success, reads:

Team Spirit is eagerness to sacrifice self interest for the welfare of the group.

If I were to ask Coach Wooden “What is the best thing I can do for my team” I would have expected him to list things like: Be a passer, Look for someone that is open, and Help others on defense. Yet he said, the best thing I can do is make myself better. Are his two statements contradictory?

The signature of our UCLA teams was unselfishness. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lewis Alcindor) could have scored more points per game if Coach would have allowed it. He showed that he could as a freshman when he scored 66 against the varsity, then ranked the #1 team in the nation. Bill Walton scored 44 points in the 1973 finals against Memphis State. He could have averaged that for the season. Sidney Wicks was capable of scoring 40 per game. There were games he scored in the 30s.

What Coach meant by his statements was, improve yourself so you will contribute more to the team, within the responsibilities given you. If you are a scorer, improve your scoring. If you are a rebounder, dominate the boards. If you are a passer, be more deceptive, develop better timing, and become more accurate. If you are a shot blocker, gain four more inches on your vertical jump and learn to block the ball to a teammate. He was saying, be unselfish by helping others but be a “star” at your position.

There is no “I” in team, but there is a “Me.” When that “me” becomes more skilled at their given responsibilities, the team improves. That’s not selfishness; that’s team spirit.