This installment is a bit different. Michael Jordan is the best professional basketball player to ever have played, but what impresses me about his career is not just the two three-peats, the five NBA MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, or the NCAA championship at North Carolina.
It’s also the fact that he came back late in his career and still found a way to compete and succeed. He no longer had the athleticism that helped him soar over his defenders, or outrun his opponents. Instead, he adapted his game and still averaged 20 points per game against players considerably younger than him.
Watch Michael Jordan score 51 points against the Hornets.
He could have ended his career with the storybook ending: winning the sixth championship with the game-winning jump shot. Instead, he came back and became a different version of himself. He relied on his basketball IQ, fundamentals, footwork, and positioning. He proved that just because you lose an advantage does not mean you lose your usefulness. Sometimes, succeeding means being willing to change and learning how to execute a new game plan.
MJ Mondays is my weekly look at why Michael Jordan is still the GOAT, along with a few lessons we can take from his career about competing, winning, and getting better.
A new post goes up every Monday.