Q&A: How Nolan Smith wins the game of social media
Nolan Smith has established himself as a leader both on and off the basketball court. A former first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, he is currently a special assistant for the Duke men’s basketball team and the North Carolina Ambassador for Teen Cancer America (TCA).
In his role with TCA, Nolan is raising money to establish a Teen Cancer Unit at Duke Hospital, giving teens their own space to relax between treatments or during hospital stays.
Nolan has been active on Twitter for more than eight years and emphasizes using his voice on social media to represent himself, his interests, and his family in the best possible ways.
When and why did social media become part of your life?
NOLAN SMITH: Social media became part of my life sophomore year of college when I got on Twitter. At that moment, I didn’t realize how big it was going to become. I realized it when my first tweet was a funny tweet, but it wasn’t funny to a lot of other people. That opened my eyes to how big my voice could be on Twitter.
My junior year, I started taking advantage of what I could say and do on Twitter to use my voice for positive purposes. Now, it’s expanded with Instagram and other social media platforms that you get to show the world who you are through words and pictures. People who look up to you, but don’t necessarily know you, can really get a glimpse of who you are.
How did you use social media to help shape your basketball career?
NOLAN SMITH: I used social media as a way to continue to build my presence and voice in the real world. Coming from Duke, I already had a strong brand, being a part of what I like to consider the biggest platform in college basketball. I was going to the NBA, which is also a huge brand, but every player up there is different. Some are private, some are outgoing and some like to do their own thing.
I wanted to continue to build and use social media in a way that portrayed me in the greatest light, which is using it to showcase my work in the community and hospitals, different things like that. When I got to the NBA, I wanted to continue to use my platform to promote myself and what I stand for.
How do you use social media to evaluate the character of Duke men’s basketball recruits?
NOLAN SMITH: We’re following each of our recruits on social media and we look to see what they’re doing on those platforms. We’re looking to see if they are using their voice on social media and, if they are, whether they’re using it for good. Are they promoting their families and themselves? On the other hand, are they more about themselves than they are their team?
You can find out a lot about a player by looking at his Instagram and Twitter. It’s the easiest way for us to get a feel for who each recruit is as a person before we meet him.
Who are two of your personal role models on social media?
NOLAN SMITH: I really love the way LeBron James uses social media. He does a great job of promoting his family and promoting things that he cares about. He also does a great job promoting his teammates. If Kevin Love hits a big shot, LeBron is showing that on Instagram. He doesn’t have to do that, but that’s who he is as a person. He’s a great person and a great social media follow.
The second person is Mark Anthony Neal, a professor at Duke. He posts a variety of messages, especially important things that are going on in the world. He’s definitely a person who uses his social media to do something good.
Make sure you give @ndotsmitty a follow on Instagram and Twitter!