Considered the greatest player in
the history of global basketball! The man who revolutionized
the history of the sport… Today in our episode of the
hero's journey, we'll tell the victorious story of the legend: Michael Jordan.
And today you will realize that his extraordinary achievements inspire not only sports fans,
because Jordan also has many life lessons about commitment, dedication, and discipline.
So be ready! Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February
17, 1963. He is the son of James and Deloris. Shortly after Jordan learned to walk,
his family moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Wilmington, North Carolina, and the family
remained there throughout Jordan's childhood. His father worked as a mechanic at
General Electric and his mother worked as a bank teller to help support the family.
In his childhood, Michael Jordan's education was not much different from any other child his age.
As a student, he was average, nothing exceptional. When he entered Trask Middle School,
however, his interest in sports became clear, and he excelled in basketball, as well
as in American football and baseball. As a pitcher in the Wilmington Little League,
Jordan performed amazingly playing baseball. His father James, whom he was very close to throughout
his life, was passionate about baseball. But Jordan, contrary to his
father's initial wishes, decided that basketball was the sport he liked
the most. This may have been influenced by Larry, his older brother, who was a basketball fan.
The rivalry between Michael Jordan and his brother Larry was also the first step on his path
to stardom. Indeed, Larry was also a very good athlete, and playing with him stimulated and honed
Jordan's skills in elementary and high school. Larry could very well have become an excellent
professional basketball player if he had grown a bit taller. At 1.76m he simply couldn't
continue a professional career in the sport. It has been widely documented that, while
in his sophomore year of high school, he failed to make the basketball team. There
are several explanations for this, such as his height at the time being 1.80m, that his skills
were not yet well established, or, more likely, that it was simply because he was still very young
and at that age, one year makes a big difference in the physical performance of young people.
At the time, only one sophomore made the team, which was Leroy Smith, who was
already over 2 meters tall. Leroy played basketball with Jordan almost every day.
Then, according to Leroy himself, Jordan began to focus on all aspects of the game with an intensity
that he had never seen before. This also occurred due to Jordan's personality, according to
his values of hard work and dedication. One of his quotes can sum up this period
well: "You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them."
Motivated to prove his worth, Michael Jordan became the star of the younger
boys' team at school, scoring over 40 points in a series of games. He was so good that the
junior team's games became popular with everyone. During the summer Jordan and his friend Leroy
attended a basketball camp and, by then, Jordan had grown about 10 centimeters
since the previous year and this time, he made the school's main team.
After that happened, as they say, the rest is history. According to a 1998 article
by Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News, during the first game of the high school
team, Michael scored 35 points and, in his two seasons on the team, he averaged 25
points per game, 12 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Although Jordan certainly improved from sophomore
to junior year, many still did not believe he would become the player he turned out to be.
But as time went on, it became increasingly clear that Michael Jordan was different and
his future in basketball would be brilliant. In the summer between his junior
and senior year of high school, he was invited to the basketball training camp run
by Howard Garfinkel, in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. But when Jordan arrived, he was extremely
nervous and felt that he somehow did not belong there. He certainly had good reasons
to be apprehensive, since Garfinkel was a big name in the sport and had already
recruited well-known basketball players. That was the year 1980. And if
you followed the NBA in the 90s, you've probably also heard of Patrick Ewing and
Karl Malone. Well, along with Michael Jordan, they also participated in that training camp.
In later interviews, Jordan referred to that summer in Honesdale as the turning point in
his life. He was considered the best player on the court in the first training session.
And the only reason he did not receive the same designation in the second session was
the result of a rule in which players could not receive the best player awards consecutively.
In total, Jordan was awarded MVP 7 times during the period with Garfinkel. However, the most
important thing was that he received a special ranking after the end of the camp. Garfinkel
placed him among the top 10 possible players to be recruited in the country. And two other
prominent scouts placed him in the first position. For you to understand the weight of Howard
Garfinkel, it is important to know that he has also trained names like LeBron James, Isiah
Thomas, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant. So, this was definitely an opportunity that
Jordan took full advantage of. Before the invitation to that camp, a coach named Dean
Smith was already keeping an eye on him, but kept Jordan as a secret.
But after the camp, other coaches learned about the boy and started following
the games at the school where Jordan played. As Dean Smith was really committed to recruiting
Michael to the University of North Carolina, he sent his assistant Roy Williams to follow
Jordan even more closely. Smith instructed him not to tell anyone in the media about this
boy and to bring him to the basketball camp at the University next summer.
Williams was successful in both requests. Jordan went to the camp and blew
away the competition. The team was also very impressed with his thirst for knowledge and
pursuit of really mastering the fundamentals. Smith intended to keep Jordan's talent a
secret, so he wouldn't have to get involved in a battle to recruit him. But he realized
that the young man's talent would not remain a secret forever, and Michael Jordan was
also approached by other universities. During his senior year of high school, Michael
Jordan put on a real show on the courts, enchanting spectators, players, and scouts, with
his dunks, skills, and scoring ability. Yet, Jordan was not the top candidate
in terms of recruitment rankings. Despite all the attention from other
universities, such as Duke, Syracuse, and Virginia, Michael Jordan chose the University
of North Carolina, and his family's influence also played a significant role in his decision,
as they were pleased with the university. Right in his freshman year at college, Jordan
played a prominent role on the basketball team. He was awarded Rookie of the Year and helped
the team win the basketball championship for the 81 and 82 seasons of the NCAA, which is the
main college championship in the United States, where it is played at a very high level not
only in basketball, but also in other sports. In his second season, he was named college
player of the year by Sporting News, but his team did not reach the finals.
In the following season, Jordan accumulated more individual awards, but the University of
North Carolina again did not reach the finals. After feeling that he had done what he could in
college basketball, Michael Jordan decided it was time to take the next step, which in his
case was to go professional and pursue his path in the NBA, the most competitive
basketball championship in the world. Jordan's mother, Doloris, was deeply opposed
to this decision, as she wanted her son to graduate from university. But Jordan's father
and even his coach Dean Smith supported his decision. He would simply be limited if
he continued playing at the college level. And so, in 1984, Michael Jordan became
a well-regarded name for the NBA draft. Many are surprised to learn that Michael Jordan
was not the first choice during the draft. It was only in the third round of choices that the
Chicago Bulls decided to recruit Michael Jordan. When Jordan got off the plane at O'Hare Airport
in Chicago, to start one of the most spectacular careers in the history of all sports, he mentioned
in interviews that he was disappointed because his new NBA team had not sent anyone to greet him.
Jordan's debut in the NBA occurred on October 26, 1984, and he scored 16 points, had 6
rebounds and 6 assists in the Bulls' victory. It didn't take long for fans, the NBA in general,
and the rest of the planet to get to know Michael Jordan. Indeed, even at the start of the
season, Jordan managed to score 27 points in a Bulls loss to the Boston Celtics in Chicago
and, Larry Bird, star of the opposing team, said: "It wasn’t Michael Jordan out there,
it was God disguised as Michael Jordan. Point blank. I have never seen a man play like
he plays. And you can include all of them." Jordan was also invited to participate in
the 1985 NBA All-Star Game, which brings together the best players of the season.
The signs that he would be a star in the NBA were already showing, but he had to work
hard to make it a reality. Dedication always walked hand in hand with Jordan's career.
With each season that passed, Jordan was gaining more and more his place and respect
throughout the basketball community. He enchanted everyone with his brilliant plays.
The rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls was growing and, in
the 90/91 season, Jordan's team managed to break the rival's hegemony, and the
Chicago Bulls reached the NBA finals. During this period, Jordan was already considered
the leader of the Bulls on and off the court, and under his command, the team defeated
the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming champion that season. It was Jordan's first NBA title.
Scottie Pippen, who played with Jordan for many years in Chicago, said that his leadership was
very strong and positive. According to Pippen, Michael's greatness and level of confidence really
propelled the Bulls to win that championship. Although he was exceptional individually,
Michael Jordan has a very strong team spirit, and inspires everyone to do their best.
In the 2 seasons that followed, the hegemony of the Chicago Bulls led by
Michael Jordan continued, making the team win 3 consecutive NBA championships. Jordan was the
best player in the finals in those three titles. At 29, he was reaching the peak of his NBA
career, and many began to wonder if the Chicago Bulls would be dethroned as champion.
The answer would come the next season, but not in the way anyone could have really predicted.
On July 23, 1993, an unthinkable tragedy occurred. During a robbery, Michael's father, James
Jordan, was brutally murdered and dumped in a swamp. Michael was very close to his father,
and the news of his death deeply shook him. After 3 consecutive NBA titles and being
at the peak of his career, Michael Jordan decided to leave basketball to play baseball.
This career change was a way for Michael to honor his father, who always wanted him
to become a baseball player, and was a much bigger fan of baseball than basketball.
But at that time, because Jordan had focused so much of his energies on basketball,
he no longer had the same familiarity with baseball as he had when he was younger.
A famous Jordan quote that sums up what he was seeking in baseball is: "I can accept failure.
After all, everyone fails at something. But what I can never accept is not trying."
Initially, Jordan was going to play for the Chicago White Sox, a Major League Baseball
(MLB) team from the first division of American baseball. But he ended up being transferred
to the Birmingham Barons, in Alabama, to play in less prestigious leagues.
This change of Jordan at the peak of his basketball career to become just "another"
in baseball seemed unbelievable to everyone, and rightly so, because Jordan hadn't
trained in that sport for more than a decade. Even so, Jordan maintained the same
determination and work ethic that made him a three-time NBA champion. Every day
he arrived early and stayed late training. In 1994, the Birmingham Barons had the largest
media coverage and exposure in their history. However, Jordan did not manage to stand out as
much and evolve the necessary to play with the best in the sport, in Major League Baseball.
He still played briefly for the Scottsdale Scorpions, but soon in March 1995, he
decided to leave baseball and announced his return to the NBA. As his legendary
number 23 jersey had been "retired" by the Bulls in his honor the previous year, Jordan
returned to the Chicago team with number 45. Before making the final decision to return, Jordan
did some workouts with the Bulls. Luc Longley, a player on the team at the time, said he could see
the love for the game returning in Jordan's eyes. And a quote from Jordan himself that
exemplifies his strength of will is: "I've always believed that if you put in
the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly, because I know that if
I do, then I can expect half-quality results." Many people began to wonder if he could do
again everything he had done before. And Michael actually played well in his comeback season,
but not like in his years when he was at his peak. In the end, the Chicago Bulls ended up being
eliminated in the playoffs by the Orlando Magic. But as soon as the next season began,
from the first day of training it was evident that Jordan was on a mission. He was in
incredible shape and extremely motivated to win. It's worth noting that it was during
this preseason that Jordan made the recordings for the animated film Space Jam, and
he trained a lot during the breaks from filming. He went into that season with
an incredible determination, to prove that he still had the capacity and a
lot of willpower to regain his place at the top. And in that season the Chicago Bulls set a
record, with 72 wins and only 10 losses. Jordan then returned to his hegemony on the courts,
and led the Bulls to win another NBA title. In the 2 seasons that followed, Jordan also
led the Chicago team to 2 more NBA titles, becoming a six-time champion. And as if that
wasn't enough, he was also considered the best player of the finals in all those championships.
One of Jordan's most incredible games occurred in an NBA final in 1997. The Chicago Bulls faced
the Utah Jazz, led by Karl Malone. On that day, Jordan was not feeling well at all. In the
early hours of the day before the game, he was sweating like crazy and could barely
get out of bed. He had a severe virus, and lay in the room until hours before the game.
The people from the Chicago Bulls told him not to enter the court. But he insisted
that he wanted to play. And in the end, Michael entered the game and scored a total of
38 points, with 15 of those points coming in the last quarter. And thus, even being ill,
he led his team once again towards victory. The coach of his team Phil Jackson could not
believe what he had just seen, and later he said: Many speculate that, had he not stepped away from
basketball to play baseball, the Chicago Bulls might have won 8 consecutive NBA titles. But
regardless, Michael Jordan definitely left his mark on basketball, and had nothing more to prove.
So he retired for the second time in 1999, ending his career on a high note. Many people recognize
him as the best basketball player of all time, and his retirement was the end of an era.
In 2000 he became one of the owners of an NBA team, the Washington Wizards. In September
2001, after months of rumors, Jordan announced that he was coming out of retirement to
play for the Wizards at 38 years old. However, Jordan did not have as much success on
the court for the Washington team as he had for the Bulls. His last NBA game occurred
in Philadelphia on August 7, 2004. As the game came to an end, Jordan was applauded
for about three minutes by his teammates, opponents, officials, and more than 20,000 fans.
Now, I will make a brief mention of Michael's participation in the Olympic Games. Jordan
participated in the famous "Dream Team", which is still considered by many to be
the best basketball team of all time. The Dream Team featured stars
like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barclay, Karl Malone, Scottie
Pippen, and of course Michael Jordan. And to conclude this video, here is another
inspiring quote from Michael Jordan: “I've missed more than 9,000 shots and lost
almost 300 games. In 26 final game situations, I was trusted to make the game-winning shot… and
I failed.. And that's exactly why I succeed.” If you enjoyed this video, share it with
your friends. And if you like to learn more about the journey of ordinary people who
became real-life heroes, then subscribe to our channel to receive our upcoming episodes.
The hero's journey ends here, until next time!
