Michael Jordan was one of the most driven athletes in the history of the NBA. Jordan was relentless and ready to do anything and everything in his power to improve himself. And that is why he was able to find a lot of success in his career and became the greatest to ever play the game.
Jordan once explained how important practice with the Chicago Bulls was for the development of his career, especially in his initial years. MJ said that head coach Kevin Loughery would constantly move him to the losing team in order to teach him a lesson. But all the practice did allow him to be calmer during game time and realize that everything in the game was something he had seen in practice.
https://twitter.com/rules23jordan/status/1492836172821053440
“When I got to the pros with Kevin Loughery, when I was drafted number three, Kevin Loughery used to put me on the starting 5, and we would be killing the second 5. But he wanted to test me out. So we can be 1 to 8 or 5 to 1/2 against the second team. If you lose, you gotta run. He would switch me in the middle of the game to the second team. And I’m saying ‘okay you’re trying to prove a point. Boom, we bounce back and win the game. Those are all training tools for me. And everyday in practice was like that for me, it was a competition. So when the game comes, there isn’t nothing that I haven’t already practiced. Its just a routine. Whatever happens in the game, okay I’ve done this before.”
Clearly, the effect of practice on Jordan’s game was immense. Jordan always seemed very calm and collected on the court during tense situations. He wouldn’t let the magnitude of the situation, or the adversity that he was facing get in the way of what he wanted to do on the court.
Jordan was clutch and could be relied upon to step up for his team in big moments. As a result, he and the Bulls went on to forge a dynasty, one that he was the leader of. Jordan and the Bulls won 6 championships, as he showed the world just how incredible a player he was.
