I didn’t think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us. He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it’s just God disguised as Michael Jordan.
Larry Bird

On Sunday one of the greatest basketball players to ever set foot in a gym turns 50 years old. Oozing basketball confidence and known for his tremendous mental toughness, Michael Jordan forever changed the way the game is played, and children everywhere playing in the driveway strove to “Be Like Mike”. Throughout his career he won a NCAA championship while playing at North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith and later won a record six NBA championship rings with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan left his permanent mark on the game by his fierce competiveness and amazing mental game of basketball.

While at North Carolina Jordan developed his sense of team play and dominating work ethic. By the time he was drafted by the Bulls in 1984, he already showed domination for his flying shots, and soon became known as “Air Jordan”. To some of those too young to remember, yes there was the man before the Nike shoe. While with the Bulls, Jordan played for the master of the mental game, coach Phil Jackson, who constantly pushed his players to build their skills in their mind as well as physically. Michael excelled with maintaining a positive mindset and basketball confidence under Jackson’s coaching.

When asked what it takes to be a great athlete, Jackson responded. They have a sense of confidence that goes beyond a sense of failure — somehow, the fear of failure can’t inhibit their ability to perform. Michael befits that as great as any athlete I’ve ever seen. He met every level of expectation.

Jordan became the model of taking what seemed to be out of control shots, and yet somehow managed to find the net. He shot over people, under people, and sometimes it seemed through people. But hit or miss, he never allowed fear to enter his mindset. I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

Sports psychologists constantly push the power of the mind in overall success, but again Jordan says it best when he offered his views on the power of fear, “I know fear is an obstacle to some people, but it is an illusion to me…failure always made me try harder the next time.

Throughout his basketball career Michael Jordan played on two Olympic championship teams, won a college national championship, six NBA championships, and even retired to play baseball for a couple of years along the way. Since his retirement in 2003, Jordan entered the business side of basketball, and in 2006 bought an interest in the Charlotte Bobcats. By 2010, he became the first majority owner of a league franchise when the NBA Board of Governors approved his purchase into the Bobcats organization.

Still changing the game of basketball, only from the business side, Michael Jordan remains a formidable presence. He continues to model the idea of mental toughness with a formidable basketball mind.

Anything can happen if you are willing to put in the work and remain open to the possibility. Dreams are realized by effort, determination, passion, and staying connected to who you are.

Happy Birthday Michael!

 Thank you for all you have done on and off the court!