When you have a track record like Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs, you do not question a single thing about what that coach does to motivate his players. However, normally you look to build success by studying teams that are within the same sport.
Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors famously studied Greg Popovich's "seven seconds or less" offense before creating one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history. Nick Saban studied Urban Meyer's fast-paced spread offenses at Florida to eventually revolutionize his Alabama team to have some of the greatest offenses the sport has seen.
But for Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs will be studying the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kirby Smart reveals early motivational theme for Georgia at SEC Media Days
In the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder have famously cemented themselves as one of the best teams in the league, winning their first NBA championship just a year ago. Now, Smart is using their standard of excellence to the Bulldogs' benefit.
Smart stated at SEC Media Days that "it's very unique what the Thunder was doing when they won the championship, leading in so many categories, most importantly selflessness.”
Likewise, the Georgia Bulldogs have built one of the top college football programs based off those very same characteristics. The norm for Georgia has been to play selflessly while being smart. Despite being one of the top programs for the past decade, the team has yet to have a Heisman winner.
The closest they got was when Stetson Bennett was a finalist in 2022. Despite having one of the best defenses in college football history in 2021, none of them led the NCAA in any individual statistical category. Why is that? They play selflessly.
For the Thunder, the same can be said. Though they have a league MVP on their team in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it is noteworthy that he has averaged no less than 5 assists a game the past three seasons. The OKC Thunder also ranked second in the league in average assists per game in the postseason a few months ago. That type of selflessness is what Kirby wants to see in his guys, and us fans can agree.
It is exciting to see that Georgia has a theme like this going into 2026. The two best teams in Georgia history in 2021 and 2022 carried the "Nobody Believes in Us" and "Keep Chopping Wood" to create a team-first and resilient atmosphere in the locker room. Maybe this is the start of the next big theme in Athens.
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