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The 10 Best Books on Michael Jordan
Essential books on michael jordan.
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There are countless books on Michael Jordan, and it comes with good reason, he is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, and helped popularize the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s – becoming a global cultural icon in the process.
“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,” he remarked.
In order to get to the bottom of what inspired one of history’s most consequential athletes to the height of his craft, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best books on Michael Jordan.
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
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The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball – hitting nothing but net.
But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina’s Coastal Plain has a darker side: he’s a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There’s never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court – until now.
Basketball journalist Roland Lazenby spent almost thirty years covering Michael Jordan’s career in college and the pros. He witnessed Jordan’s growth from a skinny rookie to the instantly recognizable global ambassador for basketball whose business savvy and success have millions of kids still wanting to be just like Mike. Yet Lazenby also witnessed the Michael Jordan whose drive and appetite are more fearsome and more insatiable than any of his fans could begin to know.
In Michael Jordan: The Life , Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan’s coaches; countless interviews with Jordan’s friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man.
Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam
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In Playing for Keeps , Halberstam takes the first full measure of Jordan’s epic career, one of the great American stories of our time. A narrative of astonishing power and human drama, brimming with revealing anecdotes and penetrating insights, the book chronicles the forces in Jordan’s life that have shaped him into history’s greatest basketball player and the larger forces that have converged to make him the most famous living human being in the world.
The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith
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The Jordan Rules chronicles the season that changed everything for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. After losing in the playoffs to the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons for three consecutive years, the Bulls finally broke through and swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, on the way to their first NBA championship.
Celebrated sportswriter Sam Smith was there for the entire ride. He reveals a candid and provocative picture of Michael Jordan during the season in which his legacy began to be defined, and seeks to figure out what drove him.
This gem among books on Michael Jordan covers everything from his stormy relationships with his coaches and teammates and power struggles with management – including verbal attacks on general manager Jerry Krause and tantrums against coach Phil Jackson – to Jordan’s obsessions with becoming the leading scorer, and his refusal to pass the ball in the crucial minutes of big games. Jordan’s teammates also tell their side of the story, from Scottie Pippen to Horace Grant to Bill Cartwright. And Phil Jackson – the former flower child who blossomed into one of the NBA’s top motivators and finally found a way to coax Jordan and the Bulls to their first title – is studied up close.
Dream Team by Jack McCallum
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Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona.
Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history.
Driven from Within by Michael Jordan
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In Driven from Within , Michael makes it clear that the basis for his phenomenal success came from the inside out, thanks in part to those who guided him along the way. His skill, work ethic, philosophy, personal style, competitiveness, and presence have flowed from the basketball court into every facet of his life.
“Nothing of value comes without being earned. That’s why great leaders are those who lead by example first. You can’t demand respect because of a title or a position and expect people to follow. That might work for a little while, but in the long run people respond to what they see,” he writes.
This is a book about the power of collaboration and teamwork, the awe-inspiring energy generated when people combine their creativity and passion and a fearless desire to lead.
Whether waking at 6 a.m. to work on fundamentals as a high school junior, or spending hours with legendary designer Tinker Hatfield on the intricacies of state-of-the-art shoe design, Michael Jordan has never wavered in his desire to be the best.
Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson
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During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.
This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head.
In Eleven Rings , Jackson candidly describes how he:
- Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion new York Knicks in the 1970s.
- Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title.
- Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync.
- Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.
Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism by Walter LaFeber
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With Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism , Walter LaFeber has written a biography, a social history, and a far-ranging economic critique. From basketball prodigy to international phenomenon to seductive commercial ideal, Michael Jordan is the supreme example of how American corporations have used technology in a brave, massively wired new world to sell their products in every corner of the globe.
LaFeber’s examination of Nike and its particular dominion over the global marketplace is often scathing, while his fascinating mini-biography of Michael Jordan and the commercial history of basketball reveal much about American society.
Michael Jordan: Life Lessons from His Airness by David H. Lewis
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“Sometimes a winner is just a dreamer who never gave up.”
Michael Jordan defied gravity, transcended the world’s expectations, and exceeded the limits of age, soaring to fame as the world’s greatest basketball player of all time. While his talent was breathtaking to behold – those flying dunks and record-breaking 60-point games have inspired generations – the unseen forces behind his success are the kind we can all harness for our own.
M. J. and his accomplishments were founded on discipline, hard work, and knowing how to channel the deep, competitive drive within. Michael Jordan: Life Lessons from His Airness offers a courtside seat to the wild ride that made Michael Jordan a star and reveals valuable insights for anyone trying to make their own lofty dreams come true.
Michael Jordan: A Biography by David L. Porter
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With the possible exceptions of boxer Muhammad Ali and baseball player Babe Ruth, no athlete has made a greater impact on American society – or in the world – than Michael Jordan. Follow the life of one of the most recognizable athletes and living brands inside this engaging and balanced biography.
I Can’t Accept Not Trying by Michael Jordan
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With his own inspiring words, Michael Jordan, the most extraordinary athlete of our time, shares the rules he has lived and achieved by. Underlying his enormous accomplishments are a set of simple principles that provide the foundation for his entire life. He draws on these to show us all how we can learn to set goals and overcome obstacles, confront fear and self-doubt, commit to our dreams and avoid distraction, be a leader and a team player, master the basics to reach new heights in excellence, and reap the rewards of self-discipline.
Relentless by Tim Grover
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Direct, blunt, and brutally honest, Grover breaks down what it takes to be unstoppable: you keep going when everyone else is giving up, you thrive under pressure, you never let your emotions make you weak. He details the essential traits shared by the most intense competitors and achievers in sports, business, and all walks of life.
Relentless shows you how to trust your instincts and get in the Zone; how to control and adapt to any situation; how to find your opponent’s weakness and attack. Grover gives you the same advice he gives his world-class clients – “don’t think” – and shows you that anything is possible.
One of the few books Michael Jordan has ever written an editorial review for, Jordan tells readers, “I consider Tim Grover to be second to none in his knowledge of sports training, and he was an invaluable part of my training program. He is a take-charge person, with a deliberate but energetic and enthusiastic technique.”
If you enjoyed this guide to essential books on Michael Jordan, check out our list of The 10 Best Books on Muhammad Ali !
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By Mike Greenberg
- May 29, 2014
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player who ever lived. Of that, there is very little dispute. He was also, at the apex of his career, a global ambassador for the game and for Nike (not necessarily in that order), a veritable A.T.M. for various corporate partners, a hero to millions, if not billions, of fans, and very likely the most famous person in the world. I know this because everyone knows it, and also because I witnessed at least a little bit of it all. I covered Jordan and the Bulls for an all-sports radio station in Chicago for four years while he was at the height of his power and fame.
It was an experience I never cease reliving, in the same way you would never forget being allowed to watch Picasso paint or Mozart tinker at a piano. I have made these analogies before and will defend them to the death. Michael Jordan absolutely was an artist on the basketball court, every bit the equal in his milieu of any of the great masters in theirs. Whatever his flaws away from the game, they were easily overshadowed by the grandeur of his talent. It was, after all, difficult to speak ill of a man when your jaw was agape, having just watched him glide through the air with a combination of grace and strength that could rightly be described as superhuman.
In his thoughtful, extraordinarily well-researched biography “Michael Jordan: The Life,” Roland Lazenby, the author of books on Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Jerry West, gives us the life and much more. His jaw is as wide open as anyone’s; the exhaustive narrative of Jordan’s basketball career is written with appropriate awe. But what makes this portrayal especially worthwhile is everything else. Lazenby begins before the beginning, in a shotgun shack in rural North Carolina some 70 years before Michael’s birth, with a beautifully written account of the life of his great-grandfather. The long trail Lazenby follows is significant because it offers an explanation of how Michael developed the competitiveness for which he became legendary. And the psychology is worth the investment even if no new ground is broken (Michael’s father, James Sr., loved his older brother Larry more), because with the foundation of Jordan’s personality set, the rest of the life can be better appreciated: Michael Jordan not simply as a superhero, but as a Man in Full.
For me, the book’s most interesting section concerns Michael’s adolescence, first as the skinny kid who was left off the varsity roster his sophomore year in high school, then through a summer spent at an elite basketball camp that Jordan says was “the turning point of my life.” It was during this time that Jordan figured out just how good he really was; previously he had imagined himself as a baseball player as much as anything else. Even Jordan’s most ardent fans will not have heard every story Lazenby tells about these early years — though every basketball fan will recognize the names of many of Jordan’s contemporaries from that period of his life, some of whom were considered greater prospects and all of whose accomplishments he would eventually dwarf.
The true Jordan phenomenon began, of course, with his freshman year at the University of North Carolina, when he was playing for the renowned Dean Smith and made the shot that won the national championship in 1982. Lazenby covers Jordan’s college and pro careers, including his two Olympic gold medals, in great detail, spicing the account with the firsthand recollections of friends and foes alike. All the familiar stories are here: the disappointing losses in his final two N.C.A.A. tournaments before he turned pro after his junior year, the frustration of his early N.B.A. years, the championships he won both before and after his first, premature, retirement. Through it all, Jordan is depicted as restless, driven and often angry. None of this is surprising, but given the full context it reads differently from the way Jordan is often perceived: This is a Michael Jordan who is confused and naïve more than conniving. Lazenby’s portrait is not saccharine, but it is certainly more sympathetic than most. He is particularly insightful about the relationships that shaped Jordan’s career: the feud with Isiah Thomas, the grudging respect for his childhood idol Magic Johnson, the disdain for the Bulls’ general manager Jerry Krause, the connection with Phil Jackson that elevated both men to the top of their profession.
Not much time is spent on Jordan’s life after his final retirement from the game, and that is just as well. His tenure as owner of the Charlotte Bobcats has been mostly disastrous and rarely interesting. While there are some — “haters” as they are commonly known — who revel in this failure, I am not among them, and neither is Lazenby. It is painful for those of us who remember Jordan’s genius so fondly to see him diminished in this way. There is little room for it in the mind’s eye, and thus I applaud Lazenby for leaving little room for it in print.
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Michael Jordan: The Life"It's not every day that I'm blown away by a book about a sports figure. But MICHAEL JORDAN: THE LIFE, by Roland Lazenby, ranks up there with the very best: The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn, Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger, and Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer. The depth of reporting, his frequent ascent into poetry, and his intelligent analysis of the life of this complicated, fascinating American icon deserve Pulitzer Prize consideration. For the first time I understand what makes Michael Jordan tick. I was captivated, fascinated and beguiled from beginning to end." -- Peter Golenbock, New York Times-bestselling author of George and In the Country of Brooklyn The definitive biography of a legendary athlete The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball -- hitting nothing but net. But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: he's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court -- until now. Basketball journalist Roland Lazenby spent almost thirty years covering Michael Jordan's career in college and the pros. He witnessed Jordan's growth from a skinny rookie to the instantly recognizable global ambassador for basketball whose business savvy and success have millions of kids still wanting to be just like Mike. Yet Lazenby also witnessed the Michael Jordan whose drive and appetite are more fearsome and more insatiable than any of his fans could begin to know. Michael Jordan: The Life explores both sides of his personality to reveal the fullest, most compelling story of the man who is Michael Jordan. Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with Jordan's friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man. There are no customer reviews for this item yet. Classic Totes![]() Tote bags and pouches in a variety of styles, sizes, and designs , plus mugs, bookmarks, and more! Shipping & Pickup![]() We ship anywhere in the U.S. and orders of $75+ ship free via media mail! Noteworthy Signed Books: Join the Club!![]() Join our Signed First Edition Club (or give a gift subscription) for a signed book of great literary merit, delivered to you monthly. ![]() Harvard Square's Independent Bookstore © 2024 Harvard Book Store All rights reserved Contact Harvard Book Store 1256 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Tel (617) 661-1515 Toll Free (800) 542-READ Email [email protected] View our current hours » Join our bookselling team » We plan to remain closed to the public for two weeks, through Saturday, March 28 While our doors are closed, we plan to staff our phones, email, and harvard.com web order services from 10am to 6pm daily. Store Hours Monday - Saturday: 9am - 11pm Sunday: 10am - 10pm Holiday Hours 12/24: 9am - 7pm 12/25: closed 12/31: 9am - 9pm 1/1: 12pm - 11pm All other hours as usual. Map Find Harvard Book Store » Online Customer Service Shipping » Online Returns » Privacy Policy » Harvard University harvard.edu » ![]()
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Word of MouthSubmitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, michael jordan: the life. ![]() "The rarest talent is like a comet streaking briefly across the sky, captured only by the trailing flash of its brilliance." In his resplendent biography of Michael Jordan, veteran sportswriter Roland Lazenby carefully chronicles the Hall of Famer's journey from his humble beginnings in Teachey, North Carolina, to his startling transformation to "His Airness." "Personality-wise, he's a study," said former Chicago Bulls assistant coach Tex Winter of the six-time NBA champion. Lazenby offers nuanced insights into the basketball phenom's character through soulful and, at times, wistful family narratives. To understand the full force of MJ's wondrous life, Lazenby opens with the poignant story of Dawson Jordan. Born at the turn of the 20th century in a shotgun shack on the banks of North Carolina's Coastal plain, Michael's great-grandfather was a looming authority figure who possessed immense physical strength. In his youth, Dawson engaged in dangerous forestry, taking down trees, then bundling and floating the logs downriver to Wilmington's shipyards. In his lifetime, he was a lumber mill worker, logger, sharecropper, moonshiner, hunt club cook and determined survivor. "Comprehensive and well-researched, Lazenby's biography offers an impressive detailed account of Jordan's storied basketball, Olympic and baseball careers, as well as his wide-ranging business interests." Lazenby portrays James and Deloris Jordan as thoroughly devoted parents, preparing their five children to become citizens of the world. "The greatest impact of their parenting came in the constant shaping of the children's attitudes," Lazenby writes, "they preached a constant refrain: Work hard. Achieve. Set goals. Think ahead. Don't be denied. Be considerate. Don't dwell on race." Jordan's ability to listen was among his most impressive attributes, and his relationship with his mother made him receptive to coaching. Lanzenby notes that Jordan would come to call Dean Smith his second father and found Chapel Hill a safe harbor largely because of the family atmosphere that the Tar Heels coach built. There are many tender episodes of familial love sprinkled throughout the book, including father-and-son basketball trips and backyard baseball games. But Lazenby also sheds light on the myth of Jordan's perfect upbringing, such as a home plagued with marital discord, money problems and allegations of abuse. Daily heated one-on-one games with his stronger, older brother, Larry, resulted in constant thumpings. These physical backyard battles informed MJ's approach to the game both as an amateur and as a professional. Whether donning the uniform for Laney High School's Buccaneers, North Carolina's Tar Heels or the Chicago Bulls, Jordan's m.o. was to seek out the best player and try to dismantle them. Lazenby says, "Each opponent loomed as a Larry to be conquered." Comprehensive and well-researched, Lazenby's biography offers an impressive detailed account of Jordan's storied basketball, Olympic and baseball careers, as well as his wide-ranging business interests. MICHAEL JORDAN: THE LIFE is a definitive, multidimensional portrait of a man and a legend, and a notable contribution to sports literature. Reviewed by Miriam Tuliao on May 16, 2014 ![]() Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
![]() All Sports Book Reviews Reviews of classic and contemporary sports books – my personal take on the sports books I've read (and mostly loved). For updates when a review is posted, follow me on twitter @SprtBookReviews. The best books (I’ve read) on Michael JordanWatching the excellent ESPN documentary The Last Dance has inspired me to put together a short post of my favourite books about, or covering, Michael Jordan. Jordan made his pro basketball debut in 1984 shortly before I was born. By the time I was taking my first steps he was well on his way to becoming a legend. In the 90’s NBA was hugely popular in Ireland largely due to Jordan and of course NBA Jam on the Super Nintendo. As one of the 20th Century’s most famous and accomplished sportsmen, Jordan has been subject of a vast number of books. For me, the best ones (I’ve read) are:
Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made. David Halberstram is a writer I found through this book and I immediately fell in love with his work. I’ve seen Halberstam described as being to sports books what Robert Caro is to political biographies and Paul McGrath is to centre backs (i.e God basically) which I fully agree. He is simply a wonderful writer. ![]() Playing for Keeps was written before Jordan retired for the second (but not final) time. The book is about Jordan the man and Jordan the phenomenon. It’s also very much about the NBA of the 80s and 90s and the people in that world. Its as much about the impact of Jordan as it is about the actions of Jordan. In many ways it picks up the story following on from Halberstram’s other NBA book The Breaks of the Game which covered Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers of the 1970s. Halberstram gives plenty of backstory on the various supporting players (Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Larry Bird, the wonderfully entertaining Pistons, just to name a few) to create a full, and compelling portrait of the Bulls and the NBA of the time. The Jordan that emerges is complex, headstrong, incredibly hard working and above all driven – driven perhaps like nobody before or since in any sport. Its a detailed, engrossing read and one that I would recommend to anybody. My only criticism is that it reads at times a bit too much of a love letter about Jordan – although its hard to think of a sportsman who came to define his sport more than Jordan. Like all Halberstam’s books it is wonderfully well written and tells as much about the society at the time (particularly the changing US attitudes to race) as it does the protagonist. A very different book looking at the Jordan phenomenon is the gossipy and entertaining The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith. The book details the internal workings of the Chicago Bulls during the 1990/91 season as they won their first NBA Championship. Jordan doesn’t come across particularly well. Most surprising to me at least was his attitude to basketball – he seems to really just have wanted to retire and play golf. There are definitely question marks over how accurate it is – the Fire and Fury of its day when the most famous man in America was thankfully just a sports star! Its enjoyable and entertaining, a fun read and a fascinating snapshot of nearly 30 years ago. ![]() Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby is a relatively more recent biography of Jordan. It sat on my shelf unread for more than 3 years. Once I picked it up however, I couldn’t put it down. While most other books tend to focus on a specific season or specific aspect of his life, Lazenby does a great job of telling the fuller picture of his life and playing career. The first part of the book detailing his background, the history of his parents and ancestors is particularly strong with Lazenby’s skill as a biographer shining through. The strength of the book is the intense focus on Jordan’s relationships – with his coaches, family, friends, other players and the numerous other people whose crossed his path. The story is told largely through the stories of those who accompanied Jordan through the various phases of his life.. His parents are presented as complex characters and the darker, but still unproven, side of the Jordan family history is touched on. In particular, I was left with even greater admiration for Bulls coach Phil Jackson’s leadership and management ability. Getting Jordan to work for the greater good of the team took a special coach and Jackson was clearly the right man for the job. It’s a big book yet I would have liked a bit more on Jordan’s life/career post playing. Being a run-of-the mill owner isn’t quite as interesting as winning 6 Championship rings, but it felt like the book ran out of steam a little bit. It’s a study of Jordan the man as much as Jordan the icon yet Lazenby wisely avoids over analysing Jordan or guessing as to his motives. But by the end of the book, I was left with a pretty negative view of the man yet the a recognition that such unimaginable wealth, fame and public pressure would be hard for anyone to emerge from unscathed. Highly recommended for a fuller look at Jordan’s life. Jordan looms large in another great basketball book Dream Team by one of the all time great basketball writers, Jack McCallum. As the name suggests, Dream Team tells the story of the US Men’s basketball team who captured the world’s attention at the 92 Olympics. It really was some amazing collection of cultural icons with Magic, Micheal Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley among others. McCallum had amazing access to the players both at the time and years later – including Jordan who seems to rarely talk to journalists for these type of books. Reading it brought back some great memories of watching the Barcelona Olympics as an 8 year old and loving both the Dream Team and the amazing multicoloured, Grateful Dead inspired, jerseys worn by recently independent Lithuania. ![]() A good insight into the players, their relationships with each other and the ultimate impact the team had on basketball. McCallum recounts many entertaining behind-the-scenes stories of the Dream Teamers when they weren’t defeating their opponents by embarrassingly large margins. The backstage stuff is the value of the book – reading about a 40 point victory isn’t exactly thrilling. One of the highlights is the coverage of “The Greatest Game that Nobody Ever Saw,” the legendary team practice match that Coach Chuck Daly organised at the team’s practice facility in Monte Carlo. The greatest collection of basketball players ever going at each other. McCallum goes play-by-play through this exhibition, and brings to life one of the rare great sports moments that happened behind closed doors. For anyone who made it this far, I also have to mention a brilliant article written by Wright Thompson in 2013 called ‘Michael Jordan Has Not Left The Building’ which profiled Jordan as he turned 50. It is available online at: http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/Michael-Jordan/michael-jordan-not-left-building and is also included in Thompson’s excellent anthology book ‘The Cost of These Dreams: Sports Stories and Other Serious Business’ Wright Thompson also published a great piece on Jordan’s will to win recently which is available at: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29180890/michael-jordan-history-flight?platform=amp&__twitter_impression=true And here is a recent article I really enjoyed about the time Jordan and friends came to Ireland for golf and pints: https://www.killarneyadvertiser.ie/guinness-golf-and-gambling-the-day-michael-jordan-came-to-killarney/ Share this:
![]() Published by allsportsbookreviewsA lover of sports books. This site is my blog of reviews of classic and contemporary sports books that I have read and am reading. View all posts by allsportsbookreviews 2 thoughts on “ The best books (I’ve read) on Michael Jordan ”Rung his jersey out after 92 and it made for excellent soup This is a great post ! thank you. Michael JordanBasketball legend Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and won the MVP Award five times. ![]() We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Who Is Michael Jordan?Quick facts, early life and family, college career, professional basketball career, jordan’s jersey numbers, awards and honors, retirements from basketball, jordan’s business ventures, wives and children, michael jordan in pop culture. 1963–present Latest News: Michael Jordan Completes Sale of HornetsBasketball icon Michael Jordan officially sold his majority ownership in the Charlotte Hornets NBA team on August 3. The team was sold for an estimated $3 billion, more than 10 times the $275 million Jordan purchased it for in 2010. The Hornets made the playoffs only three times under Jordan’s leadership. “I’m excited about the future of the team and will continue to support the organization and the community in my new role in the years ahead,” said Jordan, who kept a minority stake in the franchise. Michael Jordan is a former professional basketball player, American Olympic athlete, businessperson, and actor. Considered one of the best basketball players ever, he dominated the sport from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and earned the league’s MVP Award five times. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA. FULL NAME: Michael Jeffrey Jordan BORN: February 17, 1963 BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, New York SPOUSES: Juanita Vanoy (1989–2006), Yvette Prieto (2013–present) CHILDREN: Jeffrey, Marcus, Jasmine, Ysabel, and Victoria ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Deloris, was a bank teller who has since written several books. His father, James, was a maintenance worker turned manager at General Electric. Jordan, the fourth child of Deloris and James, has four siblings: James Jr. (known as Ronnie), Deloris, Larry, and Roslyn. Growing up in Wilmington, North Carolina, Jordan developed a competitive edge at an early age. It was James who introduced his son Michael to baseball and built a basketball court in their backyard. Michael idolized his brother Larry, and the two would often play one-on-one into the night. Michael wanted to win every game he played. Jordan attended Laney High School in Wilmington. He was notably assigned to the school’s junior varsity basketball team as a sophomore—he was still under 6 feet tall then—before developing into one of the country’s top recruits. During a basketball camp in the summer of 1980, Jordan grabbed the attention of legendary University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill head coach Dean Smith and his staff. He signed his letter of intent with the school in 1981. ![]() Jordan enrolled at North Carolina in 1981 and soon became an important member of the university’s basketball team. UNC won the NCAA Division I championship in 1982, with Jordan scoring the final basket needed to defeat Georgetown University. He was also singled out as the NCAA College Player of the Year in 1983 and in 1984. Jordan left college after his junior year to join the NBA in 1984. In 1986, Jordan finished his bachelor’s degree in geography as he continued to play basketball professionally. ![]() The 6-foot-6 Jordan began his professional basketball career when he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. He was the third overall pick, behind Hakeem Olajuwon, who was selected first by the Houston Rockets, and Sam Bowie, taken by the Portland Trail Blazers; the draft also featured legendary players John Stockton and Charles Barkley. Jordan soon proved himself on the court. He helped the Bulls make the playoffs and scored an average of 28.2 points per game that season. For his efforts, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award and was selected for the All-Star Game. Although his second season was marred by injury, he broke new ground on the court during the 1986-87 season. He became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain to score more than 3,000 points in a single season. By the late 1980s, the Chicago Bulls were quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with, and Jordan was an instrumental part of the team’s success. The Bulls made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990 and won their first NBA championship the following year by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. Jordan was well known by then for his superior athleticism on the court and for his leadership abilities. In 1992, the Chicago Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers to win their second NBA championship. The team took their third championship the following year, dominating in the basketball world. Following the 1993 death of his father and a short stint in minor league baseball, Jordan returned to the basketball court and the Bulls in March 1995. He came back even stronger the following year, averaging 30.4 points per game to lead the Bulls to a then-record 72 regular-season wins before they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics for the NBA championship. Chicago nearly matched the previous year’s record with 69 wins in 1996-97, a season that ended with a Game 6 win over the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals. The two teams faced each other again for the championship in 1998, with Jordan sinking the winning shot in Game 6 to claim his sixth and final title. In addition to those six rings, Jordan won each of his five league MVP awards with Chicago. After his second retirement from basketball in 1999, Jordan joined the Washington Wizards in 2000 as a part owner and as president of basketball operations. In the fall of 2001, Jordan relinquished these roles to return to the court once more. He played for the Wizards for his final two NBA seasons. Jordan is most famous for donning No. 23 during the majority of his career. He once said the number was a reference to brother Larry, as it was roughly half of his elder sibling’s high school number 45. Jordan did wear 45 upon his 1995 return to the NBA because 23 was the number his late father knew him by, and he wanted a new beginning. That lasted only a couple months before Jordan switched back to 23 during the 1995 playoffs. Jordan famously wore No. 12 for one game on February 14, 1990, because his jersey had been stolen. The Bulls didn’t have a backup and tried to locate a 23 jersey in the stands that would fit Jordan but couldn’t. The temporary change didn’t affect his performance, as Jordan scored 49 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic. During the summer of 1984, Jordan made his first appearance at the Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team. The team of college amateurs won the gold at the games that year, which were held in Los Angeles. Jordan later helped the American team bring home the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games, held in Barcelona, Spain. The U.S. squad featured professional players for the first time that year, including Larry Bird , Magic Johnson , and Jordan, and became known as the “Dream Team.” In 1988, Jordan received his first MVP Award from the NBA, an honor he would earn four more times, in 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998. In April 2009, Jordan received one of basketball’s greatest honors: He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Attending the induction ceremony was a bittersweet affair for Jordan because being at the event meant “your basketball career is completely over,” he explained. In 2016, Jordan was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama . Here is a rundown of Jordan’s NBA career averages and totals, according to Basketball Reference : Career Averages
Career Totals
Jordan retired from the sport three times over the span of his 19-year professional career. He first stepped away on October 6, 1993, at age 30 to pursue a career in baseball following the death of his father. In July of that year, James was murdered when two teenagers shot him in his car in an apparent robbery as he was driving from Charlotte to Wilmington, North Carolina. He was missing for 23 days until his body was found in a swamp in McColl, South Carolina. The teens were later tried and convicted of the crime and received life sentences for first-degree murder. Jordan retired from the Bulls again on January 13, 1999, at age 35 before eventually returning to the court with the Wizards. He finally hung up his jersey for good at age 40 on April 16, 2003. ![]() In a move that shocked many, after the end of the 1992-93 basketball season, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball to pursue baseball. For one year in 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, as an outfielder. This decision came shortly following the murder of Jordan’s father, who always wanted him to play baseball. He had last played baseball as a high school senior in 1981. “You tell me I can’t do something, and I’m going to do it,” Jordan said. During his short career in baseball, which many fans considered a whim, Jordan had a rather dismal .202 batting average. However, many of the people who worked with him at the time said he was an extremely dedicated player with potential. “He had it all: ability, aptitude, work ethic. He was always so respectful of what we were doing and considerate of his teammates. Granted, he had a lot to learn,” former Barons manager Terry Francona said . “I do think with another 1,000 at-bats, he would’ve made it. But there’s something else that people miss about that season. Baseball wasn’t the only thing he picked up. I truly believe that he rediscovered himself, his joy for competition. We made him want to play basketball again.” After his season with the Barons, Jordan went to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions. After hitting .252 and naming himself the team’s “worst player,” he returned to the NBA in March 1995 with a two-word press release: “I’m back.” Outside of his career in basketball, Jordan has been involved in a number of profitable business and commercial ventures, including a longtime partnership with Nike. Jordan signed his first deal with Nike in 1984. The company launched its signature Air Jordan basketball sneakers in 1985. In its initial contract, Nike gave Jordan a generous 25 percent in royalties. The Air Jordan quickly proved very popular, and it continues to be a best-seller for the apparel maker more than 30 years later. The collaboration mints money for Nike and Jordan, with Nike reporting nearly $2.9 billion in revenue for the Air Jordan line in 2018. The story of Jordan’s partnership with Nike is the subject of the 2023 biographical drama Air , which stars Ben Affleck as Nike founder Phil Knight and Matt Damon as marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro. Over the years, Jordan has signed a number of other endorsement deals with brands like Hanes, Upper Deck, Gatorade, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Chevrolet, and Wheaties. The Gatorade partnership featured a memorable ad campaign encouraging kids and adults to “Be Like Mike.” In 1998, Jordan launched into the restaurant business as the owner of Michael Jordan’s The Steak House N.Y.C. Designed to reflect Jordan’s tastes and style, this typical steakhouse seated 150 and 60 at the bar, occupying 7,000 square feet in Grand Central Terminal, before closing in late 2018. As of April 2023, there are four Michael Jordan’s Steak House locations: in Chicago; in Oak Brook, Illinois; at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut; and at the Ilani Casino in Ridgefield, Washington. Part Owner of the Charlotte HornetsIn 2006, Jordan bought a share of the Charlotte Hornets (formerly known as the Bobcats) and joined the team’s executive ranks as its managing member of basketball operations. In 2010, he became the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets and serves as the team’s chairman. Improving the team’s less-than-stellar record seemed to be Jordan’s priority. In November 2012, he told ESPN: “I don’t anticipate getting out of this business. My competitive nature is I want to succeed. It’s always been said that when I can’t find a way to do anything, I will find a way to do it.” While the Hornets’ on-court record wasn’t hugely successful—they failed to make the playoffs six straight seasons from 2016 through 2022—the organization grew from a $175 million valuation in 2006 to $1.7 billion by October 2022. In March 2023, ESPN reported that Jordan was in talks to sell his majority stake in the franchise to a group led by two NBA minority owners. Five months later on August 3, Jordan completed the sale to a group including the team’s minority owner, Gabe Plotkin, as well as music artists J. Cole and Eric Church. Jordan kept a minority stake in the franchise. Jordan’s NASCAR Team![]() In 2020, Jordan partnered with NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin to form the 23XI Racing team. The name is a reference to Jordan’s basketball number and Hamlin’s No. 11 race car. Jordan is a longtime NASCAR fan and grew up watching legends of the sport like Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Dale Earnhardt . Hamlin is a Jordan brand athlete and fan of the Charlotte Hornets, so the two were friends before the NASCAR partnership. The team debuted in the 2021 Daytona 500 with Bubba Wallace driving the No. 23 car. Wallace picked up the team’s first NASCAR Cup victory later that season on October 4 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The team expanded to two cars for the 2022 season, with former champion Kurt Busch driving the No. 45 car. Busch and Wallace each won a race at Kansas Speedway that year. Tyler Reddick replaced Busch in the 45 for the 2023 season and quickly gave the team a fourth race win at Circuit of the Americas. Forbes listed Jordan’s net worth at $2 billion as of April 3, 2023. According to Sportico , he is the highest paid athlete of all time. From 2001 through 2014, Jordan hosted an annual charity golf event known as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational, with proceeds benefiting foundations including Make-A-Wish, Cats Care, the James R. Jordan Foundation, Keep Memory Alive, and Opportunity Village. The four-day tournament and celebration attracted celebrity participants, including Wayne Gretzky , Michael Phelps , Chevy Chase , Samuel L. Jackson , and Mark Wahlberg . In 2023, Jordan made a $10 million donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation—the largest by an individual in its history—in honor of his 60th birthday. In 1989, Jordan married Juanita Vanoy. The couple had three children together: Jeffrey, Marcus, and Jasmine. After 17 years of marriage, they divorced in December 2006. On April 27, 2013, Jordan married 35-year-old Cuban American model Yvette Prieto in Palm Beach, Florida. Tiger Woods , Spike Lee , and Patrick Ewing, among other celebrities, reportedly attended the wedding ceremony. The couple welcomed twin daughters, Victoria and Ysabel, in February 2014. Jordan and Juanita’s two sons, Jeffrey and Marcus, both played basketball in college and had dreams of making it to the NBA. Jeffrey joined the basketball team at the University of Illinois in 2007. Both Jordan and his ex-wife, Juanita, supported their son and tried to help him deal with playing in the shadow of an NBA legend. “The thing that we have tried to tell Jeff is that you set your own expectations. By no means in this world can you ever live up to someone else’s expectations of who you are,” Jordan said during an appearance on the Today show. Jeffrey played for the University of Illinois for three seasons, from 2007 to 2010. He then played for the University of South Florida for one season, from 2011 to 2012, before retiring from basketball. He later entered a management training program at Nike. Jordan’s younger son, Marcus, played basketball for the UCF Knights, for three seasons from 2009 to 2012. He went on to open a basketball shoe and apparel store in Florida. “They wanted to be like their dad. What boy doesn’t? But they both got to a point where they said, ‘We’re not going to the NBA,’” Juanita said in 2013. ![]() Jordan made a big splash as the lead actor in the 1996 movie Space Jam . The film mixed live action and animation and paired Jordan with Looney Tunes legends Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on screen. Jordan did not appear in the 2021 sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy , which features LeBron James . Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls were the subject of the 2020 documentary The Last Dance, co-produced by Netflix and ESPN Films. ESPN aired the 10-part series after the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 NBA season, and it became a must-watch for basketball fans. Along with featuring archival footage of Jordan and interviews with teammates and opponents, The Last Dance explored the tension between the Bulls front office and its peerless superstar over his final triumphant year with the team. Jordan has also appeared on the cover of the popular NBA 2K video game franchise four times , including as recently as 2022. A photograph of Jordan in tears during his 2009 induction into the Hall of Fame turned into a popular internet meme called “Crying Jordan,” in which Jordan’s teary face is superimposed on pictures of other people suffering mishaps.
Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams. The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us Basketball Players![]() Jason Collins ![]() Jerry West Hated the Iconic NBA Logo He Inspired ![]() Brittney Griner Advocates for Other Detainees ![]() Caitlin Clark Prepares to Join the WNBA ![]() Dennis Rodman ![]() James Harden ![]() Kobe Bryant ![]() Stephen Curry ![]() Kyrie Irving ![]() Derrick Rose ![]() ![]() Hall of Fame babies: Listen to players reminisce about 1984 Olympic men's basketball teamA few weeks before the 2019 NBA season tipped off, broadcasters gathered for their annual preseason meetings in Jersey City, New Jersey. The featured speaker, Chris Mullin, fielded questions from the crowd, most notably about his experiences with the 1992 Dream Team. Facing the room of about 100 people, Mullin immediately looked at Jeff Turner, his teammate on the 1984 U.S. men’s basketball team, and asked a question of his own. Jeff Turner, Vanderbilt forward: (Mullin) said, “Jeff, why is it that everybody always asks me about the Dream Team, but nobody asks me about the ‘84 team?” The 12-player gold medal-winning roster, led by coach Bob Knight and a Hall of Fame assistant coaching staff, consisted of 11 future NBA first-round draft picks and three future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, including a 21-year-old Michael Jordan. The team went 8-0 in Los Angeles, capping off their run with a 96-65 gold medal victory over Spain. Pat Summitt: How legendary coach inspired the trailblazing women's basketball team of the 1984 Olympics Yet, when this team looks back at those Olympics, some feel their accomplishment has been slighted. Chris Mullin, St. John’s guard: I think it's one of the most underrated Olympic teams of all time. It becomes very historical because it is the last amateur team to win a gold medal. The team took shape starting at the trials in Bloomington, Indiana., a contrast from previous teams’ tryouts in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The home of Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers hosted 72 players on campus to determine which 12 would represent the U.S. that summer. The three-time NCAA championship coach applied his militant style to the Olympic stage with one goal in mind: win gold. Vern Fleming, Georgia guard: Coach Knight only spoke to me one time (the entire Olympics). When the tryouts came, he and I were the only ones on the street. I knew coach was behind me, and I was like, “Oh man.” These are his exact words to me, he said, “Hey, motherf*****, if you came to my school, you'd be this (expletive) good already.” Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them . Steve Alford, Indiana guard: Fleming came to me before (the fourth) practice day. He said, “Hey, what's (Knight) expecting today? We've been really good.” I said, “I think coach will kick us out of practice today.” He said, “What? Why would he kick us out of practice? We've been great.” I said, “Because coach never wants to let the players relax mentally. He knows we probably physically need a day off. But on the day off, he wants us to think he's mad and upset with what we're doing so that we stay fresh mentally for the next day. I think we'll have one or two drills, and then he'll do something to kick us out.” We went through two drills, coach punted a ball and said, “Get out, (go to the) locker room!” Vern thought he'd seen a ghost, and I didn't know I was going to be a prophet on that day, but then we got in the locker room, and everybody started undressing. I said, “Nope. That's not what happens because when you get kicked out, you have to sit at your locker and wait for coach to come in and tell us why.” Vern just sat there, staring through me, like, “I can't believe that just happened.” Sam Perkins, North Carolina forward: The best medicine to avoid second place (or) third place was just to keep winning. I really believe that the temperament that coach Knight had (made him) the best coach for that position. Leon Wood, California State Fullerton guard (morning of West Germany game): We weren't in the building for five minutes. All of a sudden, Knight was like, “Leon, you get the blank out of here.” We were doing partner shooting for five minutes and I got kicked out. It's about 105 degrees and I'm sitting out on the hot steps. My mom lived up the street and she was walking her dog and she saw me. She said, “Leon, what are you doing?” (I said,) “I got thrown out of shooting practice.” She was shocked and said, “What did you do?” I said, “I don't know.” Tim Garl, athletic trainer: (During the 1987) college basketball preseason, (Indiana) hosted the Soviets in an exhibition game. I just remember that in pregame, Knight walked up to (Soviet coach Alexander) Gomelsky (whose team had boycotted the ‘84 Games) and gave him a pair of Jordan Nike shoes. He said, “We would have beat you any place, any time.” He gave him those shoes, shook his hand, turned around and walked away. Mullin: Years later, (Knight) had come over to the Warriors practice facility. I had retired by then and I was on the court working with some of the guys. He came in behind me and came walking down the floor, and started yelling, “God**** it, Chris, get in a defensive stance!” I turned around and we chatted. I talked to him about the notebook that I still had, and I told him some things I had written down. He was really touched by that. I said, “Coach, for all that people say, we listened to you, man. We respect you and we really listened to what you had to say to us all summer.” One of Knight’s most challenging tasks was working with two-time Olympian and 11-time NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, whom he ultimately sent home in the final rounds of cuts. All three assistant coaches advocated for his spot on the roster, but Knight wasn’t convinced. Koncak: Knight was on military time, and you don't dare be a minute late. For the first time, the coaches were late, and they came in at like 7:03. Charles, as soon as they walked in, said, “I thought the meeting started at seven.” Nobody said a word, and Knight looked over at him and said, “Charles, let me tell you something. There's only one general in this army and that guy is me.” Mullin: We were having an exhibition game at Indiana University against their alumni. Before the game, Bobby's son Tim, said, “My dad says everyone needs to be taped, everyone needs to wear high-top sneakers and everyone needs to wear Converse.” We're in a tiny little locker room, and Bobby's office is right there, he's sitting right outside the locker room. Charles says, “Well, you need to tell your dad that I don't get taped, I wear low tops and I wear Nike.” Fleming : Before every meeting, we rushed to the meeting place so we could get a front-row seat to (Barkley) and coach Knight going at it. Charles would say some things that pissed him off. Charles told him, “Let me and you go in that closet and see who walks out.” Joe Kleine, Arkansas forward: (Knight would) look at you and go, “Why don’t you lose 10 pounds?” or “We'd like you to get a little lighter.” You'd go home and you do it. I know they asked Charles to drop some weight. He came back heavier. I thank Charles every day for letting me (make the team and) get my gold medal. Raveling: Bob said, “Go over to the dormitory and find Barkley and tell him that he's cut.” So, I had to go over and find Charles and tell him that he didn't make the team, and he really handled it well. He said, “Coach, you know I was as good as anybody out there. I should have made the team. But honestly, all I wanted to do was come and show those NBA scouts that I could play at that level.” While Knight’s relationship with Barkley wasn’t the best, he had a profound amount of respect and admiration for Jordan, once telling Raveling that “he is the best player that there ever will be.” Even before the eventual five-time MVP played his first NBA game, the ‘84 team got a preview of what Jordan would ultimately become. Patrick Ewing, Georgetown center: Michael and I were wrestling one day, and he put me in a headlock. My neck was sore for the next few days. Coach Knight really didn't like that. Raveling: Bob told Michael early on, he said, “Michael, I need you to do me a favor. There's going to be some times during this tour that I'm going to cuss you out and you're just going to have to stand there and take it.” Michael said, “Why do I have to take it?” He said, “Well, because the players will say to themselves, ‘If he says that to Jordan, what the hell is he going to say to me if he feels that way?’” Garl: Jordan had a toothache, and I took him to the dentist in the village that morning. They worked on him a little bit and we're playing (West Germany), but because of doping rules, you couldn't use this or that to try to get him through it. Toward the end of the game, it was tight. I ended up taking him to the locker room a little bit early once it seemed like we were going to win the game because he was in pain. Then he went and had a root canal when we got back to the village. Perkins: Knight was mad, and that's one of the times he made Michael cry. He told Michael he needed to apologize to everybody in the locker room for the way he played because Michael was (defended) pretty well. I think it was the (six) turnover factor, but we didn't care because we won. Knight was sending a message to Michael that he could be better than that. Wood: I'll take it to my grave. (Jordan) put his head down and then everybody else started going up to him after it was over, “It's OK, Michael. Don't worry about it. Keep your head up.” I'm looking around at these guys and I said, “Where was that when I'm doing all these laps, doing bleachers and I'm outside in 105 degrees? Y’all didn’t come up to me and say keep your head up.” It’s just like, wow. Koncak (Seven months after the gold medal game): We drove to the Galleria Mall in Dallas. (Jordan) is at Lord and Taylor, looking at some sport coats. I'm standing probably within 20 or 30 feet of him, and this SMU alumni walks up to me. He said, “John, I'm so happy for you winning the gold medal and how much you've done for the university.” At that point, Jordan is done looking at the rack and he's walking over to us. As he walks up next to me, the guy says, “Well, is this one of our new recruits at SMU?” And I said, “No, no, sir. This is Michael Jordan.” And obviously, as soon as I said it, the guy realized who it was, but Michael Jordan at that point was not Michael Jordan yet. The team’s main goal was to win the gold medal, but they had many memorable moments outside of basketball. From the emotions of the opening ceremony, interactions with other Olympians and what Kleine called “a long guy’s trip,” their memories have endured 40 years. Raveling: When we were walking onto the track, the parade and the crowd erupted. It was at that moment you knew that you were officially part of history forever. When you grow up a little ragtag kid from Washington, D.C., and all of a sudden you are representing your country and you are walking in a parade with a flag bearer, it hits you. This is a time in your life that you'll never be able to duplicate. Ewing: (With) the national anthem being played, looking in the stands and seeing someone, I'm like, “That guy looks just like my dad,” and it wound up being my dad. Someone from his job flew him out there to make sure that he could see me partake in the Olympic experience. I waved him down after we got off the podium. I was like, “What are you doing here?” He told me the story. It was great being able to celebrate it with him, leave with him, go back to his hotel and spend time with him and talk about the experience. Turner: (Ewing) gets cold. I just remembered roasting to death in the room because it was so warm in there. I don't know if it's his Jamaican heritage or what, but I used to say, “It's no wonder you're always wearing a t-shirt and you have a runny nose. You're roasting. This room is so hot!” Fleming: We rolled with Mary Lou (Retton) and the gymnasts because they were all on the same bus. It was funny because we couldn't see them. They were sitting in the seats and we’d say, “Hey, where you at?” They all popped their heads up because they were so short. Mullin: We had to take the bus with the gymnastics team, including Mary Lou Retton. On the way there, nobody knew who she was, but two weeks later, she was the only person they knew. Alford: We were eating lunch, and Pernell Whitaker was eating. I'm a huge boxing fan. So, we’re sitting there talking and Pernell had a match later in the day. In the Olympics, you don't have a lot of knockouts (because) you have a lot of headgear and bigger gloves. He said, “Tune in when you're in your room because I'm going to knock this guy out today.” It was so funny because that's how boxers are, but then about four or five hours later, we sat there and watched, and he knocked the guy out just like he predicted. Fleming : (The boxers) got to see our (games in person). We didn't get to see theirs. We had Bobby Knight as the coach. His one mindset was to win the gold. That mindset led to one of the most dominant runs by U.S. men’s basketball in the last 60 years, crushing opponents by an average of 32.1 points. The team’s four-month journey encapsulated a range of emotions as players and coaches stood on the podium and were crowned the best in the world. Raveling: At least half of the players and the coaches were tearing up. I mean, how could you not be proud that you represented your country successfully? To this day, winning a gold medal and the ‘84 Olympic team is the greatest moment of my life. Garl: C.M. (Newton) and coach (Knight) just looked at each other and said, “Damn, we've done it. Well, I'll never do this again.” That was because of the pressure. There was just absolutely no way that the United States couldn't win the gold medal. Raveling: Bob's reverence and respect for the American flag and his country were as important as could possibly be. It was a proud moment for him to be part of this gold medal because he came up in an environment where we respect the flag and the country's values. Mullin: I played (in) ‘92, but those are the two moments that stand alone in my career. They're outside college basketball. It's outside of NBA basketball. That's the Olympics, that stands on its own. Forty years after the summer of 1984, the team has never been reunited. Their legacy is the ultimate amateur gold medal-winning team, but they believe the Dream Team overshadows that legacy. Wood: I just felt that we're kind of forgotten. Michael is probably the only one that keeps it relevant. But when you hear Michael's name with the Olympics, it's the Dream Team. Perkins: It's almost like they start at ‘92 (and) ‘84 was like a relic. It was like an experimental thing. I took pride in the amateur status. It made us feel different. Now, because of the amateur status, we don’t get too much recognition.
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![]() Follow the author![]() Unbelievable Stories of Michael Jordan: Decoding Greatness For Young Readers (Awesome Biography Books for Kids Children Ages 9-12) (Unbelievable Stories of: Biography Series for New & Young Readers) Paperback – September 24, 2021Dive deep into the extraordinary journey of michael jordan, a name that echoes in every corner of the basketball world. unearth the secrets that propelled him to legendary status and learn how he overcame towering obstacles to earn the title of one of the greatest basketball players of all time.. Michael Jordan is synonymous with basketball greatness. His competitive spirit, ironclad self-discipline, and breathtaking court maneuvers are the stuff of legend, captivating millions worldwide. But behind the spectacular dunks and game-winning shots, there lie untold stories that shaped his journey to the pinnacle of the sport. Our series invites you and your children on an exciting exploration, delving into the life and times of sporting greats, legends, icons, and 'GOATS'. Features: Produced and created by professional writers native in the English language Cool and fun hand drawn, colorful illustrations in every page! Unbelievable stories about Michael Jordan that you may not have heard of before... some of these stories even surprised us the first time we knew about it! Tons of fun for everyone in the family Crafted with passion, our books offer engaging narratives, enriched by cool, hand-drawn illustrations adorning every page. Whether it's an unbelievable story you've never heard before or a well-known fact presented in a fresh light, there's a wealth of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Perfect for all ages, our series offers an enjoyable reading experience that fosters a love for learning. It is a fun-filled journey through the lives of sporting legends, guaranteed to captivate everyone in the family. Embark on this incredible journey now! Order today and enjoy the best stories of Michael Jordan, presented like never before.
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Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with Jordan's friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more.
Michael Jordan: A Biography by David L. Porter. ... One of the few books Michael Jordan has ever written an editorial review for, Jordan tells readers, "I consider Tim Grover to be second to none in his knowledge of sports training, and he was an invaluable part of my training program. He is a take-charge person, with a deliberate but ...
More: Michael Jordan: 7 Facts About the Basketball Legend. $30 at Amazon. From Michael Jordan himself, this book offers a unique visual look at his successful career. Infused with his own words ...
Newly revised in 2020, Michael Jordan: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players explores the inspirational story of basketball's superstar, Michael Jordan. This unauthorized biography of Michael Jordan highlights his journey in the NBA from once being passed until the 3rd overall pick to becoming a six-time NBA champion.
03/31/2014 Michael Jordan's role as handsome pitchman/basketball champion belies a complicated life in this hefty, revelatory biography by veteran basketball author Lazenby (Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon).
MICHAEL JORDAN. The Life. By Roland Lazenby. Illustrated. 708 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $30. MIKE GREENBERG, a co-host of the ESPN show "Mike & Mike," is the author of the novel "All You ...
ISBN-13 : 978-0671519728. Reading age : 10 - 12 years. Grade level : 4 - 6. Item Weight : 3.2 ounces. Dimensions : 4.25 x 0.5 x 6.75 inches. Best Sellers Rank: #4,053,692 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books) #1,635 in Children's Basketball Books (Books) Customer Reviews: 3.9 19 ratings.
ISBN 9780316194778. "It's not every day that I'm blown away by a book about a sports figure. But MICHAEL JORDAN: THE LIFE, by Roland Lazenby, ranks up there with the very best: The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn, Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger, and Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer. The depth of reporting, his frequent ascent into poetry ...
MICHAEL JORDAN: THE LIFE is a definitive, multidimensional portrait of a man and a legend, and a notable contribution to sports literature. Reviewed by Miriam Tuliao on May 16, 2014. Michael Jordan: The Life. by Roland Lazenby. Publication Date: May 19, 2015. Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports. Paperback: 720 pages. Publisher: Back Bay Books.
As one of the 20th Century's most famous and accomplished sportsmen, Jordan has been subject of a vast number of books. For me, the best ones (I've read) are: 'Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made' by David Halberstam. 'The Jordan Rules' by Sam Smith. 'Michael Jordan: The Life' by Roland Lazenby. 'Dream Team ...
Michael Jordan has always been competitive-even as a young boy, he fought for attention. His need to be the best made him a star player on his college basketball team and helped him become an NBA legend, both for his skills and his endorsements. His Nike contract for Air Jordan basketball shoes set an unmatched precedent for professional ...
The NBA promoted Michael, basing its popularity on his image as the greatest showman in sports history. Yet his sports hero status extends beyond NBA records. Michael changed the game by becoming the most effectively marketed athlete of his generation. Nike and many other companies rode-and continue to ride-on the coattails of Air Jordan's legend.
Bill Gutman. Pocket Books, 1991 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 142 pages. In thirteen years with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan led his team to six NBA championships, earning MVP honors each time. His career average of 31.5 points per game was the best in NBA history, and his 29,277 total points won him ten season scoring titles and made him the ...
Meet the man who changed the game forever. Michael Jordan has always been competitive--even as a young boy, he fought for attention. His need to be the best made him a star player on his college basketball team and helped him become an NBA legend, both for his skills and his endorsements. His Nike contract for Air Jordan basketball shoes set an ...
PCN Photography / Alamy Stock Photo. Driven from Within is a hybrid sports and business biography written by Michael Jordan with editor Mark Vancil. The book is hard to categorize. It is certainly part auto-biographical. Jordan talks at length about what motivates him as an athlete and as a businessperson. The thinking behind his routine and ...
Follow Michael Jordan and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Michael Jordan Author Page.
Michael Jordan is a former professional basketball player, American Olympic athlete, businessperson, and actor. Considered one of the best basketball players ever, he dominated the sport from the ...
A few weeks before the 2019 NBA season tipped off, broadcasters gathered for their annual preseason meetings in Jersey City, New Jersey. The featured speaker, Chris Mullin, fielded questions from ...
Michael Jordan: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players (Basketball Biography Books) Clayton Geoffreys. 4.5 out of 5 stars ...
Amazon.com: Unbelievable Stories of Michael Jordan: Decoding Greatness For Young Readers (Awesome Biography Books for Kids Children Ages 9-12) (Unbelievable Stories of: Biography Series for New & Young Readers): 9781956397437: Press, KC, Jordan, James H.: Books