Michael Jordan: A Lesson In Perseverance

MICHAEL JORDAN: A LESSON IN PERSEVERANCE

Michael Jordan and perseverance? How does such a lauded, successful, and phenomenal athlete relate to perseverance? The man is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players ever. Didn’t he just play in the NBA and dominate all the time?

Not exactly. In the beginning, Jordan faced many obstacles and challenges.

Yes, I’m serious…

For starters, you may have heard that he failed to make his high school varsity basketball team as a sophomore. Jordan credits the event as one of the defining moments of his life that spurred him to train harder. He recorded several 40 point games on junior varsity and easily made varsity the next year.

In college, Jordan initially was worse than fellow teammate James Worthy for about two weeks. Worthy became the top pick of the 1982 draft and had a successful NBA career. In the “Last Dance”, a 2020 documentary mini series about Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Worthy describes Jordan as “sucking up information” and in the documentary he mentions that Jordan would demand to play him one-on-one for hours after practice.

In Jordan’s second pro season, he and the Bulls faced the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. This 1986 Celtics team is considered one of the best of all time and consisted of a star-studded roster including a big-3 of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Yes, that “Legend Larry”, widely known as one of the greatest players ever. Jordan scored 63 points against this elite team, which was almost half of the Bull’s 131 point total in the game.

Not bad AI, not bad… looks kind of like Kevin McHale on the right…

Ultimately, Jordan and the Bulls were defeated by the 86’ Celtics. Jordan continued to fight for a championship throughout the 80’s. In the late 80’s, Jordan and the Bulls’ rise to dominance collided with a peaking team nicknamed the “Bad Boys”. The Detroit Pistons lived up to their namesake with a physical, aggressive, and tough play style. The roster consisted of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, and other key role players. The Bulls lost to the Pistons three times in the playoffs. Jordan received the brunt of the Pistons’ wrath. Dubbed the “Jordan Rules”, Detroit developed a strategy to contain Jordan based on physical play, double-teams, and forcing him to go left (where he was less successful).

Jordan and the Bulls finally defeated the “Bad Boys” in 1991 after three grueling years of weight training, different offensive strategies, and countless hard physical fouls. The Bulls went on to win the Finals against the Las Angeles Lakers for the first time in franchise history. Jordan and the Bulls became a dynasty and won six more championships in the 90’s. Notably, the 98’ playoff run was especially difficult due to the Bull’s aging roster and injuries throughout the season. Scottie Pippen (2nd best player and all-star forward on the Bulls) missed half the season due to an injured toe. Regardless, the team rallied, made the playoffs and defeated the Utah Jazz in the finals to win a sixth championship.

No big deal…

Jordan “retired” for a second time but he wasn’t done. He returned to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001 and elevated the team to a winning record and playoff contention. Jordan suffered numerous injuries and retired permanently in 2003.

Notice a theme here? Jordan persevered and got it done. He didn’t quit basketball in high school after failing to make varsity, he drastically improved in college, gave his absolute best against one of the great teams of all time, overcame the “Bad Boys” and countless dirty cheap shots, won six championships, and capably played pro ball at age 40.

I know Michael Jordan is exceptional and unique. But, we can all take lessons from him and do our absolute best. Keep going and continue trying and you will find success.