The last dance

T
his sports fan has been starving for the passion and excitement of the game. 
COVID-19 has stripped it away from all of us, but ESPN has laid a feast before us in the form of a 10-part documentary of the Chicago Bulls called “The Last Dance.” 
While the majority of the focus is on the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), Michael Jordan, viewers are also let in on the story of his teammates and coaches as well. I remember well the dynamic duo of Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who was probably the most under-appreciated, second-best player in the league at the time.
What I was not aware of during the 1990s, was what was going on behind the scenes. I have thoroughly enjoyed the personal stories of the major players from that period of time, and reliving the dynasty that was the Chicago Bulls.
And I have also so enjoyed getting to know the real Michael Jordan.
Apparently, Jordan was nervous about the series coming out because he was afraid he would come off as a bad guy. 
I don’t know whether or not he comes off as a bad guy, but one thing I do know is that he was intense and singularly focused on winning. He demanded excellence from his teammates, he pushed them, he harassed them, but it was all to bring out the best in each player and therefore the team as a whole.
At one point, Jordan stated that while he was hard on his teammates he stressed that one thing his teammates said about him was that he never asked any of them to do something that he wouldn’t do.
And that is exactly why he is the GOAT.
Jordan didn’t make the varsity squad his sophomore year in high school. Instead of blaming the coaches, or anyone else, Jordan took that disappointment and used it to become better. He worked tirelessly to improve his game so that as a junior, not only would he make the team, but would become arguably the best high school player in the country at the time.
Granted, he is gifted with amazing athletic prowess, however, it was his hard work that turned him into a phenomenal basketball player.
Jordan held himself at such a high level and demanded excellence from himself. He used whatever motivation that would come his way, and little slights were such an indignation to him and drove him to even higher levels of play than one could ever anticipate.
Several times in the series, his former opponents would laugh and say, “we shouldn’t have pissed him off.” Though they laugh about it now, each time that they would fire him up, Jordan would come out and humiliate them on the court.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do to get himself to the place where he was going to beat you.
Watching the series has given me an even deeper respect for Jordan, and got me thinking about athletes today. 
During this pandemic, organized sports have been benched, however individual athletes have truly been gifted this opportunity to work on developing their skills in the sport that they love. You don’t need an open gym, or field, to work on the fundamentals of your game. All you need is the drive and desire to be the best, and then put that to work to become your absolute best.
We all could learn a lesson from the way Jordan approached basketball. Never settle for anything less than your best, and put in the work to be the best.