Aaron Gordon brings different mindset to his basketball career

TORONTO -- It was early Saturday morning. 

Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic sophomore and NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant, arrived in his hotel room.

Despite the fact that he would compete in the drawcard event of NBA All-Star Saturday in less than 24 hours, he was more concerned about getting food than rest. Gordon wasted no time in ordering room service to feed himself, and his guests.

Among the three guests in Gordon's suite were myself, Jason Stirman -- the CEO and co-founder of Lucid, a start-up that focuses on mental skills training -- and, most importantly, Graham Betchart.

Before his current role as Director of Mental Training for Lucid, Betchart played a unique role in nurturing the Magic forward, long before his time in the NBA.

"The first time I met Graham was after he did a talk," Gordon told FOX Sports. "It only dawned on me recently that I met him when I was just 11 years old." 

"I was at a hot prospect camp in the East Bay, and it was just this average-looking white dude walking into the gym. I had no idea who he was."

Betchart is a proponent of "mindfulness," a term popularized by renowned mental skills coach, George Mumford, who was a mentor for the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Phil Jackson.

Earlier, on Friday, Betchart was with Mumford, himself. The two were liaising with one another, brainstorming ideas, in an attempt to find the best way to spread their message across the globe.

"When I started teaching this, and I learned that George Mumford existed -- and worked with Michael Jordan and Kobe -- that was the window to teach kids," Betchart said.

Aaron Gordon and friends.

"Now I can say that the person you look up to and admire does this stuff, so if you want to be like that, let's do this. "

Betchart's methods may be unorthodox, but Gordon swears by them, and his mentor has since worked with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns -- the two most recent No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks -- along with current college basketball stars, Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown.

"Graham lined everyone up on the baseline," Gordon recounted.

"He gave us ping-pong balls, and a bucket. We started throwing the ping-pong balls into the bucket. The idea was to breathe, then throw the Ping-Pong ball."

The game was rigged so that the ball would never remain in the bucket, but it wasn't the hand-eye coordination that Betchart was examining.

"We did that for a few minutes, then everyone lined up on the baseline again, and he asked for a volunteer to shoot a free throw. I volunteered, and I made the first, and then missed the second. I went 'Ah, man', just in disappointment, and he asked what I did wrong."

"A couple of people said it was that I missed the free throw, and Graham said no. It was the reaction after I had missed the free throw. That was the first time I met him, and I didn't really know what was going to happen after that."

What eventually happened was, this "average-looking white dude" would transform Gordon's life, becoming a mentor, and one of his closest friends.

This brings us back to the early hours of Saturday, after Gordon and Betchart had returned from an exclusive Jordan event downtown.

What was expected to be a routine appearance at the red-carpet event; turned into the pair meeting up with Michael Jordan, himself.

This proved to be a somewhat surreal moment for Betchart, who has long admired the mindset of the NBA legend.

"George [Mumford] also works with Lucid. So to meet Michael Jordan, with Aaron, was a culmination of everything we've been through," Betchart enthused. "To have Michael look me in the eye and tell me, 'George saved me.' It was a surreal moment."

Gordon, similarly, has his own tale of salvation. He was shooting free throws at around 40 percent at the University of Arizona, but sought to overcome his limits, and master this stroke in the NBA.

"To learn how to shoot free throws, you had to work on mastering, which is all about failure," Betchart shared. "He learned that you had to fail to the top. He just needed the positive affirmation of 'I love free throws.' Because we know it was the opposite."

"Now, 900 days later, he's shooting (around) 70 percent in the pros."

If anything is apparent, it is the fact that Gordon is a solid proponent of sports psychology.

"Buy in. Buy in. More than anything, you need to have a solid mentality. The mentality comes from compassion for yourself, and love for the game."

The process, and friendship, however, didn't happen overnight. 

"I'd always listen to what he had to say, and take it for what it was worth, but I didn't understand the value of it until I got to college," Gordon laughed. "All throughout high school, I would always listen to Graham and I would always benefit. But it wasn't until college, that I realized how beneficial it actually was."

Gordon's emotional investment in Betchart, and his work, is set to reward him further, as he's expected to become the first athlete to sign with the company.

It's clear that Gordon isn't in this for any kind of monetary reward. As cliché as it sounds, he's intent on making the world a better place.

"I want to evolve humans as a whole," Gordon said. "I want Lucid to evolve humans as a whole."

"Lucid want to make the world a better place. I've asked Graham how I could make the world a better place."

"Obviously, it started with making myself a better person. Their goal is incredible. They've made it something tangible, trying to make the world a better place."

When he's not hitting the hardwood as one of the NBA's most explosive athletes, Gordon makes sure to read as much as possible.

George Mumford's book, "Mindfulness," is a particular favorite of Gordon's; along with anything that looks at transcendental meditation, or the intricacies of quantum physics.

For Gordon, it's all about education. As much as he can continue to improve his vertical jump -- pleasing basketball fans with his aesthetically pleasing leaping ability -- that takes a back seat to his insistence to train his mind.

As professional sports teams slowly incorporate these practices into their respective organizations, Lucid is in the midst of creating a mobile app, so the average person can also take advantage of mental training.

"It's not all that apparent, right now, in professional sports," Gordon said.

"There are definitely teams that have it, and those teams are successful, and have a different mindset about themselves. I'd say, within the next five to 10 years, every team will have a sports psychologist like Graham."

It's not just what seems to be an intrinsic passion that Betchart espouses, but it's the air of positivity that fills any room he's in.

His ability to connect with people -- elite athletes, in particular -- is what will set his plan in motion.

"Our mission is to bring mindfulness to the world," Betchart said, with a glint in his eye.

"I need it to make a billion dollars, because then we know it's reached a lot of people. I feel like it's my purpose to bring mental training forward, through Lucid, and to have someone like Jason, and then to bring someone like Aaron on; we all have the same purpose."

As the clock struck 3 a.m., Gordon finally conceded that he had to get some much-needed shut-eye.

Generally, the excitement of competing in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest would lead to a lot of nerves for a 20-year-old, and while he admitted that there was some nerves, Gordon was more excited than anything else.

He's embracing the moment, and is looking forward to competing against his good friend, and reigning Slam Dunk Champion, Zach LaVine.

The Timberwolves' high-flyer is widely regarded as the favorite to win the event, but Gordon isn't writing himself off, just yet.

"A lot of the guys are really really talented, so I think I just have to come with my best stuff," Gordon conceded. "But I wouldn't be here if I couldn't compete with Zach."

What better way to spend the night leading up to the Slam Dunk Contest, than to meet with "His Airness,'' Michael Jordan.

Connecting with Jordan was the final piece of the puzzle. It was the culmination of the perfect circularity that is Graham Betchart's work with Gordon.

"From throwing Ping-Pong balls into a bucket, to meeting with Michael Jordan," Gordon exhaled. "It's just perfect."