Name: Scott Rochelle
Position: National Basketball Retired Players Association CEO
Where I’m from: Evanston, Ill.
Where I call home: Chicago
Focusing on right now: All of our NBRPA members are eligible for the NBA group licensing program. This allows royalties to be paid directly to the player for the use of their name and likeness. Each year, royalties paid to NBRPA members are upwards of $3M. With the recent launch of “NBA 2K18,” which features many of our members, the priority is making sure everyone is compensated appropriately.
Best advice: Prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when things work out. In the sports world, those things operate the same way. It ensures that you’re prepared for anything, because there’s so much unpredictability in our business.
Must have for a new hire: Trust. In this office, we have a small staff of seven. There are many times we talk about competence and skills, but it has to be trust. We have to be able to bring someone into this family who we trust to work with and go into the trenches with.
Exec I admire: NBA Commissioner ADAM SILVER. It has nothing to do with the business success and the recent growth of the NBA. Rather, it has more to do with the focus and prioritization of inclusion when it comes to social issues. When Adam first took office, within his first few months, he had to oust one of his bosses. There’s no one else in professional sports that has made inclusion such a priority.
Book shelf: The one that worked best for me was KEITH FERRAZZI’s “Never Eat Alone.” I read it very early on in my career, and it helped me understand what’s really important in the working world: relationships. My position today is as much a result of relationships as it is any skill or talent that I’ve ever had.
Talking tech: Twitter keeps me abreast of news and many times I will learn things that are going on in the industry -- and especially my players -- before they hit the newswire. I stay very attuned to Twitter for the information purposes and keeping up with the flow of basketball culture and retired player culture.
Must-have music: I have to have my old-school hip hop. I struggle at times to listen to the new music today. When I’m able to go back into ‘80s and early ‘90s hip hop, it brings me back to not only great times in life but also better times in music.
Food for thought: Chicago has a lot to offer when it comes to food. We may be known for our crazy unpredictable weather, and our sports teams, but it is hard having a conversation about this great city without mentioning the incredible cuisine.
First thing in the morning: I check my phone as I’m getting ready to go to the gym. Going to the gym for me has been the best type of mental therapy that I’ve been able to develop the last few years.
How I unwind: I shut down my phone and listen to music to take me out of the stress of the day. As long as my eyes aren’t engaged and I’m not reading anything, I get to refocus myself.
Day in the life: I’ll go through emails and start setting the pace of the day for my staff. If I’m in town, I’m on the phone working through player issues, making sure that our programming and our partners are connecting with the right players. If I’m out of town, more than likely I’m conducting one of our Full Court Press Jr. NBA Clinics across the country or meeting with one of our 12 chapters. Outreach to players and membership is always part of the day.
