(Ep042) David Hollander: How Basketball Can Save the World
David Hollander’s love of basketball began when his father put up a hoop and poured a 12x12-foot blacktop court in the family’s backyard. It immediately became his sanctuary and sowed a seed that would eventually lead David to shape a new generation. While his brother was a high school record setter, David jokes that the only high mark he set was in technical fouls. But he maintained a passion for the game and his stellar grades led him to law school.
From there came a winding path through marketing, music, and film. David started interviewing athletes on the side, leading to him becoming the Huffington Post’s first sports reporter and, later, a book (52 Weeks). His work drew the attention of New York University (NYU), and after his first guest lecture to students, he went home and told his wife that he’d found his calling. He began lecturing at the NYU SPS Tisch Institute for Global Sport and quickly became a favorite with colleagues and students alike, winning multiple teaching excellence awards. In 2019, David launched his most popular course to date, How Basketball Can Save the World, which will be released in book form in 2023.
In this episode, David shares:
How Dr. James Naismith’s original basketball rules inspired him to create 13 principles, including cooperation, balancing the individual and the collection, and being positionless
Why the game gives him peace and balance and is an antidote to isolation and loneliness
How basketball transcends social, religious, cultural, and economic boundaries and can save the world!
How he teaches students to be fully present and think independently in his second sanctuary - the classroom
Pre-order David’s book, How Basketball Can Save the World and follow the Instagram feed.
