Are We Really a Team?

Reflections from the Court and the Command Line 🏀💻

A Conversation That Stuck

Today, I had one of those conversations that sticks with you long after it ends. I caught up with an old friend—an ex-teammate from my basketball days. Life has taken us far from the court, but oddly enough, we now find ourselves competing again… just in a completely different sport. One where, interestingly, the competition is individual. 🏅

That sparked a question that stayed with me:

What does being a team really mean in a sport where you technically compete alone? 🤔

The “Team” Mentality

He brought up something that got under my skin in the best way. He said that in our current sport, there’s this expectation to do everything together—travel, hotel, meals, downtime. The reasoning? Because we’re a team -I will explain in a bit. 🤝

At first, that might sound reasonable. Maybe even ideal.

But is it?

I keep coming back to these questions:

Are we really a team when there’s no room for individual freedom?

Are we a team if saying “no” feels like betrayal?

Are we a team if we don’t feel safe enough to speak openly—and instead resort to whispers behind closed doors? 🤐

What Makes a Real Team?

And what about this:

Are we a team when we only protect each other in public—but allow gossip, blame, or silence when no one is watching?

To me, a real team is built on something deeper.

A team is when you protect each other behind closed doors—not just when the cameras are on. 🎥

A team is when you respect freedom and controlled improvisation—not when you demand conformity at the cost of individuality. 💡

In basketball, we needed each other to win. On the court, we had to trust one another with the ball, with the defense, with the game plan. But in this new sport, we compete solo. So what does team look like here?

Maybe it’s not about being physically close all the time. Maybe it’s about emotional safety—the ability to say no, to be honest, to have space and still know that you’re part of something bigger. Maybe it’s about having each other’s backs, even when it’s inconvenient. 👥

The Team in a Solo Sport

In my current solo sport, while I’m technically competing alone, there’s still a strong sense of team when we travel together. We’re a group of individuals from the same gym, sharing the same goals and supporting each other on the road. Even though the competition is individual, the team dynamic shines through when we share experiences, encourage one another, and protect each other, even behind closed doors. 🏆

It’s the same feeling I had on the basketball court—trust, support, and respect for each other, even if we’re not always physically together. That’s the real essence of teamwork. 💪

Leadership Lessons

That’s what’s stayed with me. And this idea doesn’t just hit me as an athlete. It hits me as a leader. 🧑‍💼

In my professional life, I lead distributed software and data engineering teams across different continents, cultures, and crafts. I’ve learned over the years that real leadership isn’t about control. It’s about trust. It’s about alignment over uniformity. It’s about creating space, not micromanaging behavior.

The highest-performing teams I’ve led weren’t the ones who checked in most frequently or agreed the fastest. They were the ones who knew how to disagree safely, commit fully, and support one another genuinely—especially when no one was watching. 👩‍💻

A Powerful Lesson from Željko Obradović

And this brings me to one of the most powerful examples of leadership and team dynamics I’ve ever come across.

I once read an interview with Dimitris Itoudis, back when he was the assistant coach to Željko Obradović at Panathinaikos. When asked how they handled disagreements—around tactics, scouting, or game strategy—his answer was unforgettable:

“We have our meetings to discuss the game plan. Željko gives me the freedom to share my thoughts, and he’s open—not just to hearing my ideas, but to accepting them if they make sense. If there’s a disagreement, he, as the head coach, has the final word. But once we walk out of that room—even if I ‘won’ the argument—we both support the decision like it was our own.”

That’s it.

That’s the definition of a team.

Freedom to think. Room to challenge. Trust to disagree. And unity to commit—together. 💯

Whether it’s on the court, in a solo sport, or across Zoom calls and Slack threads, the truth is the same:

Being a team isn’t about how often we’re together.

It’s about how deeply we’ve got each other’s backs—even when we’re apart.

What Does Team Mean to You?

What do you think? Let me know how team shows up in your world, whether it’s in sports or the workplace! 🌍