Book 71 was Roland Lazenby's Michael Jordan: The Life
Michael Jordan's hatred for losing would not have been developed through today's AAU system of youth basketball. Today there are too many games, AAU's structure allows top players to play three games a day and many games each week; there is no time to reflect on each loss. Michael Jordan was an incredibly competitve player whose hatred for losing set him apart from other players.
Delores Jordan: work hard, achieve, set goals, don't be denied, be considerate, don't dwell on race.
Larry Jordan: It did not bother me to watch his success; I had the opportunity to see him grow; I got to see how hard he worked.
Michael's talisman was the diamond-hard disappointment he would wear around his neck.
Michael Jordan told UNC coaches he planned to take a break from basketball after the NCAA tournament loss during his sophomore season. When they found him in the gym the next day he just said, "I've got to get better."
Jordan did not take to embarrassment well, but he put up with Knight's coaching style to win a gold medal. As a young boy Jordan promised his mother he would avenge the U.S. loss to Russia. Jordan realized he'd have to overcome Knight to achieve that goal.
As an NBA rookie Jordan worked so hard in practice veteran players had to increase their own intensity to avoid being embarrassed by Jordan.
Jordan kept a close group of friends around him to shelter himself from outsiders. If he did not have his own cocoon, Jordan may not have been able to deal with the fame, and may never have been so successful.
The golf course provided solitude. Jordan could get away from the spotlight to be like anyone else.
If Jordan didn't think an injury/illness would hurt him he would just focus past it and play.
Reality and Jordan's competitive mind often inhabited parallel universes. When ever he needed to stoke his fire, Jordan would conjure up something to produce the heat. The people around him had difficulty distinguishing real from imagined.
Everything he did he had to think: How will this be perceived.
"I always liked practice," Jordan said, "and I hate to miss it."
Time in baseball allowed Jordan his desire to work hard.
Jordan did not need rest like other players. Over the course of the season players would need to take time off, but Jordan would ridicule and cajole his teammates.
Basketball is a game of habits. Jordan and Pippen knew the fundamentals would be their true legacy. It set the apart from other teams.