8 Inches From The G.O.A.T. ─ Michael Jordan’s First Failure

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When you think of the 23, what immediately comes to mind? The natural number following 22 and preceding 24? Two days before Christmas? The atomic number of Vanadium? The 23rd Psalm-The Lord is my Shepherd?  

Sure. 

But when most people think of 23 they think of number 23. As in Michael Jordan, the G.O.A.T., (Greatest of All Time—for the Boomers in the audience)  formerly of the Chicago Bulls. He played an astonishing 15 seasons for the NBA and is the most sensational athlete of our generation. 

And, he is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. But if you know anything about number 23, you know that before he was the world\’s greatest round-ball player, he was a complete failure. 

Failed and Rejected

While a sophomore at Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, MJ was rejected from the Varsity squad. He was relegated to the Junior Varsity as his best friend, another sophomore, Leroy Smith, was chosen for the final Varsity spot. 

Smith was not as good as Jordan but he added size to the team, as he was 6’6” compared to Jordan’s diminutive 5’10”. 

So for all practical purposes, Leroy Smith was eight inches from the G.O.A.T.

More importantly, the Varsity coaches knew Jordan had potential. They knew if he played for the Varsity squad he would largely ride the wood and watch games from the sideline. So they put him on the B team… 

Yup, MJ was on the B team in high school. 

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Michael Jordan game film from high school.

Jordan was devastated and tells the story that he spent hours in his room with the door closed crying uncontrollably. 

After he finished his pity party, Jordan did what all Champions do ─ he dusted himself off, held his head high, and used that “piss and vinegar” to become the greatest player of all time. 

Jordan put on the JV uniform and went out and kicked some ass. 

“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again.”

─ Michael Jordan

All or Nothing

How many of us would have done that?  Today’s mantra is “all or nothing.” We demand recognition of our self-anointed greatness. This is best illustrated by the overused but accurate analogy of “participation trophies” in kids\’ sports today. 

But the truth is, even if you are Michael Jordan, you aren’t as awesome as you think you are. The problem is that nobody will shoot you straight because they don’t want to upset you. 

There’s always someone better looking, cooler, smarter, stronger, or you name it than you. Always. In MJ’s case, there was someone 8 inches taller. 

You see, many people hear this story and assume the high school coaches were just stupid. That they failed to recognize MJ’s talent. That isn’t necessarily true. They fully recognized his talent.  They wanted to further develop his talent by playing time in an arena where he could shine. 

Had Michael Jordan ridden the bench and scored a few points as a reliever for the Senior starters he may not have developed into the star that he was destined to be.

Being the G.O.A.T. 

Even after he became the world-renowned number 23 for the Chicago Bulls, the underdog, 5’10 high school player mentality drove MJ. 

Disappointments and setbacks are all part of God’s plan for our lives. I have often said in business that if we aren’t failing on a regular basis we aren’t pushing ourselves hard enough. 

We can choose to quit. Just fold up our proverbial tent and go home. Or we can embrace uncertainty and see possibility in it instead of danger. It happened to me last year. A series of business setbacks in January that made me really question if I’d lost my mojo. Maybe I just didn’t have “it” anymore.

Then another G.O.A.T. did what seemed totally impossible. Against all odds. We’re you watching when Tiger Woods completed the greatest comeback in sports history to win The Masters? If not you must have been in a Physician induced Coma.

Or we can embrace uncertainty and see possibility in it instead of danger.

Michael Jordan would go on to break numerous NBA records and become the most decorated NBA player of all time. He has done more to advance the popularity of the sport than any modern player.

Even today, he is the principal owner and CEO of the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina. He inspired an entire generation of great basketball players, including Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James. 

Failing Often Means Pushing Yourself Harder

The lesson here is simple. You will fail often if you are pushing yourself hard enough. 

And it’s a tough world. People you know-and some that you love-will laugh at you. People you compete with will bask in your failure. 

But you have a choice… Tuck your tail and wallow in your defeat and vow to never try that again.  Or… ”Be like Mike.” 

Dust yourself off, put on the JV uniform and use that defeat to build a fire to become the G.O.A.T.  

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six 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.”

─ Michael Jordan 

After picking himself up off the floor, Jordan did what champions do. He let his failure and disappointment drive him to be better. 

“Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again.”

─ Michael Jordan 

Final Thoughts

You can’t think of the G.O.A.T. basketball player or the word “champion” without thinking of Michael Jordan. And there’s no better proof that failure is simply a stepping stone to success than Jordan’s story.

For Michael Jordan, disappointment and setback resulted in a redoubling effort. It should be the same for all of us…  

Technically ─  if we don’t fail every once in a while ─  we aren’t trying hard enough.

How do you feel about becoming the “Greatest Of All Time” in your field? How do you work toward this seemingly hard-to-reach goal? 

I’d like to know about it. Send me an email at [email protected] and let me know.

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