5 Questions with Shane Larking

Shane Larkin is known for his skills on the court, but beyond the arena, he’s also become a powerful voice for mental health, personal growth, and community support. In 2022, he launched the Shane Larkin Foundation, expanding his impact beyond basketball.

In this exclusive Bubulander interview, we dive into Shane’s thoughts on resilience, emotional intelligence, and how sports can shape young minds for life.

What was your vision when creating Shane Larkin foundation and how would you define its mission?

My vision when creating the Shane Larkin foundation came from a place of feeling like Istanbul was a home for me. I had been living here for a few years and the love and support I had felt was amazing so I wanted to try and find a way to give some of that back. That’s where the idea of the foundation began. 

The mission of the foundation is to create opportunities for people and children that may be less fortunate. To spread hope and belief in the ideas that a better future is ahead. Allow people to feel comfort that they are not alone and try to touch as many lives as possible. 

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You have been quite vocal about mental health and different aspects of self-work. Would you say psychotherapy, especially in professional sport environment is still stigmatised? Have you observed any progress in a worldwide narrative on this?

I think the narrative around mental health is beginning to shift. Many athletes have spoken up in recent years about the importance of mental health and expressing that they (the athlete) are human as well. We all deal with things off the court in regular life when we aren’t being athletes competing in our sports. 

Also, the idea of psychotherapy is beginning to become more common as an outlet because having a place to voice your ideas, thoughts, and beliefs in a judgement free space can be very helpful and impactful for anybody going through something difficult (depending on the person).

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It’s very difficult for kids when growing up to resist being preoccupied with outcomes (i.e. losses or wins) and slowly stop enjoying the process. Any advice on how to avoid outcomes being conditional for our happiness?

I think the way to prevent kids from becoming discouraged in these types of environments the narrative around winning and losing shouldn’t have pressure involved. 

The most important thing for a kid to be doing at an early age with sports is having fun. 

No child should be forced to play a sport or feel the pressure of having to win. So, my advice to any child is to just enjoy the sport for what it is. It is a game and it will always just be a game. So just have fun with it, enjoy the moments of competing with friends and don’t feel the pressure from the outside people who are saying things. Do it for yourself. 

Do you think that sports help us regulate emotions better or does it exaggerate them and makes it more challenging to handle?

I think sports are a double-edged sword. The feeling of winning is amazing, and the feeling of defeat can be heartbreaking. I do think it teaches us a great life lesson though. Because through hard work and dedication you can become better at something which at the end of the day is the best feeling there is. Self-improvement and discipline are learned through the experiences of practicing a sport. So in the long run I think sports can teach you how to manage your emotions better, but in the beginning stages it is a learning experience on how to manage wins and losses. 

What are the skills that are particular to professional athletes that you would like your future children to adopt?

I think the skills I would like my future children to adopt would be the discipline and drive for self-improvement. The motivation that can be learned from trying to get better at a sport is something that you can apply in many different aspects of your life. It is a great teacher because with sports you will not get better overnight, it is a long process where you have to be dedicated and committed to the process, which if you can do, will bring great rewards. I think learning those things can bring success to life, if you are an athlete or if you take a different career path those things are very important in order to obtain success. 

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Of course, we all want to get to know athletes on a personal level, and what’s more personal than reading or movie lists. Can you please share with us two books or movies that have influenced you the most personally and/or professionally?

One movie that I watched is:

I Am Bolt.

It is a documentary about the life of Usain Bolt. The dedication he had to compete at the highest levels of sport during the Olympics was extremely impressive to see. He trained for 4 years to run races that lasted a total of 10-20 seconds. Imagine the amount of dedication and commitment you have to have to train 4 years straight, to run 10 seconds. Incredible. 

One book that I've read is:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 

It’s a book basically of his writings and philosophy. The book speaks on how to be more logical than emotional in certain situations when needed. Basically, teaching you how to be more rational, make better decisions, and not fall victim to the negative emotions that your brain creates. How to be selfless and nonjudgmental of the next person. Overall, just a philosophy of life that I’ve tried to integrate into my own individual practices.

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