Michael Jordan is very opinionated when it comes to the game of basketball and the players in the NBA. As a six-time NBA champion and successful businessman, he has every right to be.
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In the latest episode of MJ: Insights to Excellence, Jordan spoke about today’s players and having their own brand, while focusing on the game of basketball.
“It’s hard to be hungry when you have… [everything] Jordan said. “Simple as that. I mean, if you don’t have, you are willing to do whatever it takes to have. So my mental approach was, go in, do my job, be the best basketball player I can be, and all the chips and everything outside of that, I had people that were handling that. But basketball court, I’m handling it, right?
“Now it’s like a prerequisite, everybody has to have a logo,” Jordan continued. “I’m pretty sure I’m part of the reason why everybody tries to get a logo and brand. But the thing is that that brand was established based on what I did on the basketball court. I didn’t put the brand before I put the work. I put the work first, and then the brand evolved based on the work.
“A lot of times it’s different,” Jordan added. “You see it in every sport, not just basketball. Football, baseball, everybody’s walking around with a logo and their hat, and I get it. But whatever I did here is never going to affect what I do on the basketball court.
“I like to think that, if I was playing today, that no matter what, my game is gonna validate whatever I try to participate in away from the game. It’s really tough for the kids today, and most of them do a great job of navigating what you’re talking about.
“As you understand that this is always going to be what you’re remembered for basketball, and your love for basketball should always be pure.”
Jordan speaks the truth here. Yes, his brand changed the way all athletes handled themselves outside of their respective sports. Still, Jordan’s brand exploded due to his incredible play on the court.
