NBA champ Branch presents at chamber of commerce event Branch discusses accountability, being a team player

Former NBA player Adrian Branch served as the guest presenter for the First Friday Coffee event hosted by Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 1. He has been a motivational speaker for the last 30 years.

"In your life, you're never born a winner or a loser. You're born a chooser," Branch told the audience at the Century Casino Event Center. He said one's choices define who they become.

After winning an ACC championship with the University of Maryland Terrapins in 1984, Branch was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1985. Though he was cut from that team, he played with four other NBA teams, winning a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987. He has worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN for the last 18 years.

Despite his accolades, Branch primarily talked about the times he has failed at things in life and how he overcame those adversities.

He discussed how he was dismissed from both his high school and college basketball teams for his poor attitude. He was later dismissed from the Lakers for ignoring his coaches, which prevented him from winning a second NBA championship.

Adrian Branch

"I had a lot of potential, a lot of ability, but my focus was dinged up," he said. "I was thinking about myself, not being a team player."

Branch said he had to learn to become accountable in order to overcome his poor attitude. He put his trust in his Christian faith and desired to be a good teammate in both his personal and professional life.

"Remember, I said it's not a crime if you fall down. Every once in a while you're going to fall down," Branch said. "It's a crime if you stay down."

He told the audience not to let one bad moment ruin everything for them and to keep moving forward.

"I think we all have an opportunity to be choosers for this last month of 2023 and move forward as a community, as a region," chamber president and chief executive officer Rob Gilligan said at the conclusion of Branch's speech. "We're excited that Cape Chamber can play a role in helping support you and the choices you make to help move this community forward."

Branch will speak to various youth groups and basketball teams in the Cape Girardeau region throughout the weekend. He had previously visited the area for motivational speaking tours in the 1990s, 2016 and 2019.