Peak
Editor’s Note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.
One day earlier this summer, Allison Shapira pulled up a video she’d never seen before and hit play.
On the screen was Jim Valvano, the legendary basketball coach from North Carolina State, affectionately known as Jimmy V, standing on stage at the 1993 ESPY Awards. Valvano was there to accept the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage Award and announce the creation of the V Foundation for Cancer Research. He wore a black tux and a big smile and delivered one of the most powerful speeches in sports history.
Eight weeks later, he died of cancer at 47.
