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Driven from Within
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Author: Michael Jordan, Tinker
Hatfield
List Price: $35.00
Pages: 208
Publisher: Atria (October 24, 2005)
Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 1.0 inches
ISBN: 0743284003
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Michael Jordan, the best known
athlete in the world, is a leading scorer in the National Basketball Association
(NBA), who led the Chicago Bulls to many recent NBA championships. He is, by
far, and will be for a time to come, the best basketball player in the history
of the game. Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Wilmington,
North Carolina. He accepted a basketball scholarship from the University of
North Carolina and as a freshman scored the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA
championship game against the Hoyas of Georgetown. Jordan was selected college
player of the year for the 1983-1984 season, and in 1984 he led the United
States basketball team to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Jordan left college in 1984 to play with the Bulls. He finished his first
season (1984-1985) as one of the top scorers in the league, with an average of
28.2 points per game. He was also named rookie of the year and made the first of
his nine All-Star game appearances. Jordan finished the 1986-1987 season as the
second player, after Wilt Chamberlain, to score more than 3000 points in a
single season. He led the NBA in scoring for seven consecutive seasons
(1987-1993), tying Chamberlain's record, and averaged more than 30 points per
game in each season. He also became the Bulls' all-time leading scorer and set
numerous scoring records, including most points in a playoff game (63 points
against the Boston Celtics in 1986); and highest scoring average for an NBA
championship series (41 points per game in the 1993 NBA finals). He led the
Chicago Bulls to their first NBA championship title in 1991; with Jordan, the
Bulls won again in 1992 and 1993. In addition to his three league Most Valuable
Player awards (1988, 1991, 1992), Jordan won the All-Star game MVP award twice
(1988, 1996) and a record three-consecutive NBA championship series MVP awards
(1991-1993). Jordan was also a member of the United States Olympic basketball
team, known as the Dream Team, that captured the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics
in Barcelona, Spain.
Stating that he had lost his desire to play professional basketball, Jordan
announced his retirement prior to the 1993-1994 season. Initially noted for his
scoring, his tenacious defensive play had made him one of the greatest
all-around basketball players in NBA history. He had also become a worldwide
celebrity due to his success in the NBA and the Olympics, and his numerous
commercial endorsements.
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Jordan's book illustrates the most important
aspect of success -- call it "passion" or "desire" or "drive" -- it's that
internal fire that compells a person to keep practicing, to keep
perfecting, to keep going for "it" until the goal is achieved. When the
work is not optional but the Only Option, everything in life takes on a
different perspective -- and that is how dreams become statistics in the
record books.
Book review
Michael
Jordan was, of course, the greatest. But imagine if he hadn't been so
lucky as to have such a nicely shaped head. Without the genius-level move
of shaving it, premature baldness may have dealt a real blow to his
self-esteem at a crucial point early in his career. Look at Lew Alcindor's
bald spot. Only Magic could rescue him. Or consider Clyde Drexler. Who
knows if MJ would've gone on to win all those championships if he'd had to
play with such a stigma. (On the other end of the spectrum, MJ's shaved
head may have prevented him from being honest with himself about his age
when he decided to return to basketball with the Washington Wizards.) . .
. The sad reality is that there are many of us who can't just go ahead and
shave our heads to hide our baldness: we'd look ridiculous. And toupees
don't work either--as anyone who's read Russell David Harper's
insubordinate rant called "Bald" would know.
Author introduction
Michael Jordan, the best
known athlete in the world, is a leading scorer in the National Basketball
Association (NBA), who led the Chicago Bulls to many recent NBA
championships. He is, by far, and will be for a time to come, the best
basketball player in the history of the game. Jordan was born in Brooklyn,
New York, and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. He accepted a
basketball scholarship from the University of North Carolina and as a
freshman scored the winning basket in the 1982 NCAA championship game
against the Hoyas of Georgetown. Jordan was selected college player of the
year for the 1983-1984 season, and in 1984 he led the United States
basketball team to a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Jordan left college in 1984 to play with the Bulls. He finished his
first season (1984-1985) as one of the top scorers in the league, with an
average of 28.2 points per game. He was also named rookie of the year and
made the first of his nine All-Star game appearances. Jordan finished the
1986-1987 season as the second player, after Wilt Chamberlain, to score
more than 3000 points in a single season. He led the NBA in scoring for
seven consecutive seasons (1987-1993), tying Chamberlain's record, and
averaged more than 30 points per game in each season. He also became the
Bulls' all-time leading scorer and set numerous scoring records, including
most points in a playoff game (63 points against the Boston Celtics in
1986); and highest scoring average for an NBA championship series (41
points per game in the 1993 NBA finals). He led the Chicago Bulls to their
first NBA championship title in 1991; with Jordan, the Bulls won again in
1992 and 1993. In addition to his three league Most Valuable Player awards
(1988, 1991, 1992), Jordan won the All-Star game MVP award twice (1988,
1996) and a record three-consecutive NBA championship series MVP awards
(1991-1993). Jordan was also a member of the United States Olympic
basketball team, known as the Dream Team, that captured the gold medal at
the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
Stating that he had lost his desire to play professional basketball,
Jordan announced his retirement prior to the 1993-1994 season. Initially
noted for his scoring, his tenacious defensive play had made him one of
the greatest all-around basketball players in NBA history. He had also
become a worldwide celebrity due to his success in the NBA and the
Olympics, and his numerous commercial endorsements. |
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