Tales of Michael Jordan’s amazing work ethic are common and widespread in the NBA community. Despite his prime having ended over 20 years ago, MJ is still remembered and revered for what he was able to do on the court and the hard work he put on daily to maximize his career.
One story of Jordan’s greatness comes from his former teammate, Brendan Haywood, who played with MJ on the Wizards from 2001-2003. According to Haywood, Jordan acted as a mentor and teacher during his time in D.C., although he obviously also served as an executive at the time.
While Jordan lost some of his athleticism, he never lost his heart or work ethic. Even during the final years of his career, he outworked everyone else, and it’s part of what helped him stay somewhat productive at such an advanced age.
Jordan Delivers Epic Response After Beating Young Teammate To Optional Practice
In an interview with HoopsHype, Haywood described one particular encounter that involved MJ beating him to the gym for practice at almost 40 years old.
“It was weird because MJ was also a front office executive at that time. He was still technically my boss and he was playing on the team. Even though he liked me, I still never got super close to him,” said Haywood. “That was my boss. But practices were just so competitive. He was always pushing the envelope, gain an edge. Our relationship was more like a teacher and a pupil. He was teaching at all times and I was just trying to take it all in. I wasn’t trying to befriend him but I knew there was so much I could learn from him. I saw his hard work and I saw his dedication. MJ would be there at 8 am even when practice didn’t start until 11 am. That work ethic was insane. I thought I was coming to the gym early. One time, the veterans didn’t have to be there that day. So I asked him why he was there. He said: “The better question is why did I beat you here?” Those were the types of things I learned from being on the same team as the greatest basketball player of all-time.”
Haywood is one of the few players to have played with both Jordan and LeBron during his career, and it clearly gave him a unique perspective on the game. Good on Haywood for being smart enough to soak and it in and learn what he could.
As for MJ, is anybody really doubting his competitive spirit these days? As arguably the greatest player of All-Time, Michael Jordan was special for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was his willingness to work hard on his craft.
During his last years in the NBA, he did his best to rub that mentality off on as people as he could.
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