In one of Michael Jordan’s most famous quotes he directly encapsulates his work ethic and mindset, not just towards basketball but towards life. “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael always talked about hard work and his desire to win. Some of Michael’s teammates over the years have talked about Jordan saying because of how hard he pushed himself, not just in games but in practice as well, pushed them to become better players and made those Chicago Bulls teams go down in history as one of the greatest basketball teams of all …show more content…
Jason Kiang, a contributor to Bleacher Report, a prominent sports website states “Suddenly, basketball became less about five guys playing with synergy and more about one guy trying to do it all himself. One on one play became the new style of the NBA and of youthful basketball in America and as a result, the quality of play suffered” (Kiang). Because of this way of playing, the stigma to “be like Mike” came to fruition. Everyone who touched a basketball wanted to “be like Mike” which meant trying to be the best on the court. Ironically enough Jordan was one of the most fundamentally sound players of all time, he passed the ball well and played great defense. He won defensive player of the year in the entire NBA in 1988. But because of how easy it was for Jordan to completely take over a game, most people lost the meaning of “being like Mike” and completely overshadowed his fundamentals. Putting a negative stigma on his style of play which then impacted others to play more of a one-man style of basketball.
A winner in every sense of the word is a perfect example of Michael Jordan. He won six NBA championships, and won most valuable player in each of those six championships. Also he won five most valuable player awards in the entire NBA. He won Rookie of the year his first year, and went on to be a 14-time NBA all-star, meaning he was one of the top