Pat Croce Doesn’t Have Bad DaysPat Croce Doesn’t Have Bad Days
Really Good Shares
Former 76ers president Pat Croce talks with A.J. Daulerio about cancer, Zen practice, blame, fear and redefining success in recovery. Their conversation touches on vulnerability, triggers, parenting and how awareness can change a person’s relationship to suffering.
56:57•21 Oct 2026
Pat Croce on Cancer, Zen, and Why Vulnerability Is Invincibility
Episode Overview
- Recovery can include emotions like blame, inadequacy and control issues, not just alcohol or drugs.
- Use the RAIN principle—Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture—to relate differently to difficult feelings instead of suppressing them.
- Triggers ("shempa") lose power when they are noticed and allowed, rather than resisted or acted on.
- Vulnerability can be a form of strength, making a person less easily hurt than rigid emotional defensiveness.
- Preparation and mindful practice can turn frightening challenges into experiences of genuine freedom, for adults and children alike.
“Vulnerability is invincibility.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? Here, former Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce sits down with host A.J. Daulerio for a conversation that swings from NBA glory days to chemo infusions, Zen Buddhism and why he says he doesn’t have bad days anymore. Aimed at people interested in sobriety, mental health and spiritual growth, this chat leans more like a long, honest coffee with a charismatic old friend than a formal interview.
Pat talks about his cancer diagnosis, the ongoing chemo and how a shift in perspective—rooted in Zen practice and a daily "change your mind" inquiry—lets him meet illness without collapsing into fear.
He keeps coming back to the idea that the body is "a wonderful agency for the divine to work through," but "it's not me." For anyone wrestling with resentment or blame in recovery, Pat offers a practical framework he uses, the RAIN principle: "Recognize, allow, investigate, and nurture." Instead of trying to “get rid of” uncomfortable feelings, he suggests embracing them like "two boxers at center ring" so they stop landing punches.
He connects this to triggers ("shempa"), old conditioning and the way awareness loosens their grip over time. There’s plenty here for people who feel stuck in self-judgement too. Pat shares the mantra he gives Rangers and commanders: "Vulnerability is invincibility," arguing that being emotionally open actually makes him tougher than his leather‑jacket, martial‑arts days ever did.
He also redefines success, shifting it from external wins to investing fully in the present moment—what he calls stacking "millions of micro-wows." If you’re curious how someone with a terminal cancer label, a deep spiritual practice and a history in elite sport talks about fear, death, parenting and love, this conversation may give you a lot to sit with—and maybe a few ideas to try today. What might your own "micro‑wows" look like?
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