Boston Celtics’ Brad Stevens Talks Humility and Being a Team Player with Bentley Students
It was a full house in Koumantzelis Auditorium as Bentley students, faculty and staff gathered to hear from Brad Stevens, president of basketball operations at the Boston Celtics, in his sit-down conversation with Bentley President E. LaBrent Chrite. Stevens, who formerly served as the team’s head coach, spoke about his career path in the sports industry and his perspective on leadership and team building. He came to campus as part of a multi-year Bentley University-Boston Celtics partnership that includes hands-on opportunities for Bentley students and others to gain visibility into the business of sports.
“You should all have confidence that being yourself is good enough and being authentic is the only way that you’ll truly ever be the very best leader that you can be,” Stevens said. “But there’s no substitute for the work that has to go into it to do it well. Make sure that you put in all the sweat equity you need to put your best foot forward for whatever group you’re trying to help. That’s ultimately the greatest legacy you can leave.”
Stevens applied that philosophy when he began his career at Butler University as a volunteer assistant coach. “I was surrounded by incredible people,” he said of working with the Butler University coaching staff. They were guided by five values — passion, unity, servanthood, humility and thankfulness — to create a positive student-athlete experience. Stevens said the experience gave him the confidence to make purpose-based coaching decisions. “It’s not about what creative plays you draw up, it’s about who you’re striving to be every day.”
Stevens went on to become an assistant coach, then head coach at Butler University. In 2013 he became one of the youngest head coaches in NBA history when he joined the Boston Celtics. He was 37 years old when he was approached to take over for Head Coach Doc Rivers.
Cassidy Yeomans ’26, captain of the women’s basketball team at Bentley, served as the event emcee and introduced Stevens before his sit-down with President Chrite.
“Hearing Brad Stevens talk with President Chrite about leadership, handling adversity and his journey to where he is now was incredibly inspiring,” said Yeomans, a Finance major and an executive board member of Bentley’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “He shared some great ideas and insights about team building. What really stood out to me was how those same ideas apply to every team setting — whether it’s in life, school or your future career.”
Yeomans appreciated Stevens’ perspective on navigating team successes and setbacks. “You just stay on that treadmill where you’re not too high when things are good and not too low when things aren’t as good,” Stevens said.
Stevens’ visit complements other Bentley-Celtics partnership programs — including a career conversation with Celtics President Rich Gotham and a Celtics Career Day for Boston-area high school students held earlier this year. Bentley students also worked with management from CLTX Gaming — the professional esports team affiliated with the Boston Celtics — to plan the Boston region’s first-ever collegiate NBA 2K24 championship tournament.
“Today’s event was such a cool reminder of how Bentley’s partnership with the Celtics brings together sports, education and leadership,” Yeomans said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn lessons that we can take with us into our own lives and careers.”