Michael Jordan graduated from hotshot rookie to 'real player' to six-championship Chicago Bulls superstar to the greatest basketball player ever. Revisit his personal 1998 essay from the VFArchive
Maybe he could tell one of his children had a special talent, a special sense of himself. Maybe he knew one of his sons, for whatever reason, was touched by some special spiritual inspiration. You could go back two or three generations in my family and find one person maybe six feet two. But it's not enough that I'm bigger than the norm for my family. I have this special ability.
I wanted to impress my teammates, my coaches, the owners—everybody. I wanted them to say,"This kid is special. This kid has the right mind, the right skills, the right motivation." All my effort that first year was geared toward proving myself. I went as hard as I could all the time. I tried to win every drill, every scrimmage. I tried to dominate, but never vocally. I felt until I earned the right to speak I wasn't going to say a word.
I was very aware of what I had done on and off the court during the first half of my rookie year. The last thing I wanted to do at the 1985 All-Star Game was draw even more attention to myself. I took my family with me to Indianapolis, and all I planned to do was soak in the atmosphere, meet the players, and play the game. My mind-set was to blend in and not make waves. Exactly what I was trying to avoid happened anyway.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How NBA got unprecedented access to Michael Jordan and Bulls for 'The Last Dance' documentaryYou probably don't know Andy Thompson. But you know his work and two of his family members. He is the brother of former NBA player Mychal Thompson and uncle of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson.
Read more »
'The Last Dance': Takeaways from first episodes of documentary on Michael Jordan and BullsThe opening of 'The Last Dance' sets the stage, showing the tension around the team and the circus that followed Michael Jordan and the 1997-98 Bulls.
Read more »
'The Last Dance' has Michael Jordan headlining basketball again during Sunday debutMichael Jordan has taken headlines again while the basketball world is indefinitely suspended. The documentary 'The Last Dance' premiered Sunday night, and it was a mega hit.
Read more »
How to Watch the Michael Jordan Docuseries, The Last Dance, This WeekendThe first and second episode of the long-awaited documentary series will premiere on Sunday
Read more »
The Inside Story Of How Michael Jordan Became The World’s Richest AthleteNo. 23 was the NBA's greatest player but almost never its highest-paid. That didn’t stop him from building a $2.1 billion fortune.
Read more »
'The Last Dance': Five things to know ahead of the release of ESPN's Michael Jordan documentaryESPN's much-anticipated documentary on Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls premieres on Sunday.
Read more »