Michael Jordan In the list of the greatest sports player is this legendary basketball game. Although his story is unlike those of corporate giants we have discussed above, his story is still quite inspiring. It is the perfect example of how a mentally tough mind can overcome so many failures and challenges, to achieve great success. Michael Jordan is considered the greatest basketball player who ever lived.
Michael’s story starts a little later in life when he failed to make it to his high school’s varsity basketball team. Michael was attending Laney High School, and when he could not see his name on the varsity team, he was greatly crushed. His coaches asked him to play in the junior varsity team, not because he did not have the required skills and talent, but because of his size, seniority in school, and for a strategic reason.
The coaches felt that Jordan’s friend, Leroy Smith, although not as good as Jordan, was more fitted for the varsity team because he was taller, 6’6”, while Jordan was only 5’10”. In addition, the coaches felt that getting Jordan to the senior team would only accord him a substitute role, denying him the time he needed to perfect his skills on the court. However, if he joined the junior team, he would get a chance to truly grow.
The reason was perfectly logical, but to the 15-year old, it meant defeat and failure. However, Jordan soon picked himself up and used his disappointment and failure as a drive to step up. He worked twice as hard. He said that whenever he felt too tired and was ready to stop, he would close his eyes and remember the list of players that had made it to the varsity basketball team, and this would give him renewed strength for practice. This also helped to set the precedence for his life so that throughout his life, Jordan would use failures and setbacks as a drive to redouble his efforts. Many people are quick to release the pain of losing and move past it, but not him. The losses he encountered would challenge and push him towards better performance.
His life seemed to take a pattern of defeat followed by huge success. He carried this to the University of Carolina, and the NBA. His drive led him to break many records and become the most decorated player in NBA history. He is also credited for making basketball popular in the United States and other parts of the world. He is also the inspiration behind the current generation of basketball players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Dwayne Wade. You cannot talk of sports champions without having Michael Jordan at the top of the list.
After his successful NBA career, Michael Jordan became the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, an NBA basketball franchise. Here too, he continued to experience challenges because, at the time he bought a majority stake, the business was going down. Jordan took out his own money to cover the massive losses the team was having.
The first season was excellent, but with time, their performance deteriorated. For example, during the 2011-2012 season, the team made seven wins and 59 losses. This was the worst record for any team ever in history. Because of this, the team had poor support from the fans, even though their leader was the basketball legend himself.
However, by the time the 2012-2013 season came around, Jordan was ready to turn things around. Jordan took himself out of managing the team and hired a new coach to do it. He went along and started working on redeeming the brand. He changed the team’s name to the Charlotte Hornets and buried himself in community events. The team soon developed a connection with the city.
The efforts paid off because, at the end of the 2013-2014 season, the team was leading with a record 43-39 wins. This was one of the best years in the team’s history. It even made it to the playoffs. Ticket and merchandise sales were skyrocketing too, and the public’s opinion of the team had drastically improved.