Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino is a Basketball Hall of Fame coach, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most accomplished leaders in the history of collegiate and professional basketball. He is the first coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to the Final Four and the first to win a national championship at two different universities, capturing titles at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

A Legendary Coaching Career
Across more than four decades of coaching, Pitino has compiled over 900 career victories at the collegiate level. He has guided seven teams to the NCAA Final Four, coached at six different programs including Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, and currently St. John’s, and served as head coach of the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. His signature full-court pressure defense and ability to transform underperforming programs into national contenders have made him a model of leadership and culture-building.

Bestselling Author and Speaker
Pitino is the author of several bestselling books including Success Is a Choice and The One-Day Contract. Twenty-nine of his former assistants and players have gone on to become collegiate head coaches.

Keynote Topics
Rick speaks on leadership, building winning teams, overcoming adversity, and creating cultures of excellence, accountability, and sustained success.

How to Have Success Battling Adversity (Virtual or Live Keynote)

Coach Rick Pitino discusses handling adversity, dealing with change, and getting through tough time and adapting, with a live Q & A with coach

Success Is a Choice

Rick Pitino takes the same proven methods that have earned him and his teams legendary status in the NCAA to give you a plan of attack for achieving extraordinary success in your own life. Rick Pitino’s ten-step plan isn’t for quitters or for people looking for the easy road to success. But neither is it for the superstar talents or those with a Midas touch who expect their luck to hold forever. “Success Is a Choice” is for anyone who is serious about making dreams reality. It’s a tool for preparing yourself for the challenges you face – from developing habits and discipline that will get you started down the path to success to learning the value of ferocious persistence as you begin to reach and surpass your goals. Basketball fans have already recognized Rick Pitino’s ability to get the most from his players. His message applies just as well off the court. An inspiring step-by-step program that will motivate almost anyone to perform better, “Success Is a Choice” can make a remarkable difference in your own life.