As arguably, the greatest basketball player ever, it makes sense that the Chicago Bulls were willing to take extra measures to ensure the happiness of Michael Jordan.
During his 13-year run with the Bulls, Jordan rose to unprecedented levels of fame as an athlete, and it gave him unprecedented levels of power.
Apparently, his superior talent also allowed him to have some unique conditions on his contract. One such condition, dubbed ‘for the love of the game,’ gave MJ the freedom to play basketball anytime he wanted.
Back in the early days of the booming baseball era, Babe Ruth was infamously suspended for barnstorming during the offseason. That is, he toured the country making extra money playing exhibition games in all corners of the nation, and even some outside of it.
It makes sense that the league would be angry—the most marketable player in the game was risking injury for a few extra bucks.
However, Michael Jordan had a clause in his contract that he was allowed to play basketball whenever he wanted to.
Jordan could play in exhibition games, scrimmages or just a pickup game in a random park whenever he wanted—the only player that general manager Jerry Krause ever thought about giving this clause to.
Michael Jordan made sure no one was going to stop him from getting buckets. 💯 pic.twitter.com/GbuS6oTMRg
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) December 24, 2022
There have been some contract clauses a lot worse than that, but it’s still weird to think that Jordan had to have a special condition to be allowed to hoop.
It sounds ridiculous to think that an NBA player shouldn’t play basketball whenever they feel like it, but there’s a risk involved anytime someone picks up a basketball. By preventing players from overworking their bodies, many leagues and teams place restrictions on when and where certain players are allowed to play.
That was not the case for Jordan, and it’s obvious why. Besides being made of iron and practically never getting hurt, Jordan’s passion for the game could not be quelled by normal means, and there was no way anybody was going to keep him off the court.
Michael Jordan’s Supreme Work Ethic Maximized His NBA Career
What often separated Jordan from other NBA stars was his unbridled passion for the game. Despite all of his natural talent, he was always working hard and was always dedicated to being the best version of himself on the court.
That dedication is why Jordan was so good for so long and why we’re still talking about his game decades later. Jordan is a true hooper at heart, and that was made clear in every move he made.
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