Though the hard-working students of the Class of 2020 have earned their mortarboards, the coronavirus pandemic has robbed them of most classic high school experiences, including a graduation ceremony. So dozens of celebrities and leaders have been brought together for iHeartRadio’s Commencement podcast to deliver graduation speeches these students will never forget, celebrating their drive to succeed, their grace dealing with this unprecedented situation, and offering heartfelt advice for the future. On this episode, Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the U.S. Olympic basketball team and coach of Duke University’s Blue Devils, reflects on the lessons he’s learned about success, and how to make sure you’ve got the right people on your team.
Mike’s mother had only an eighth-grade education, he says, but she taught him the most important lesson of his life: to “get on the right bus.” She told him, “You’re going to drive your bus for your entire life. Make sure that you put good people on your bus. And if you get on someone else’s bus, make sure they’re good people. If they are, then they will help you go places that you will not be able to go alone.” Mike says that advice changed his life, and he wants 2020 grads to also remember to “hang with good people….There’s a greater chance of you winning if you’re with good.... if you’re with exceptional.”
And Mike is no stranger to exceptional. He shares the pep talk he gave to the United States Olympic basketball team before they qualified for the Beijing Olympics. He looked at some of the greatest players in the country: LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, and told them: “We will not win the gold medal if you play for the United States Olympic team. We will win if you are the U.S. team. If you own it, you will win.” He asks the graduates to look for these opportunities to own it in their futures, no matter what kind of work they want to do: “If it’s yours, you’re going to make it the best it can possibly be.” Hear the rest of this inspiring speech on the Commencement podcast.
Congratulations to the Class of 2020! iHeartRadio’s ”Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020” podcast celebrates this year’s graduating students as they take their next steps into the world. For more inspiring speeches from celebrities, athletes, business leaders and more, listen to the podcast on iHeartRadio.