Michael Jordan Quotes

I play knowing that there is somebody watching me out there in the crowd that has never had the opportunity to watch a game before and it might be the only chance they ever to see one, live in person. Michael Jordan once said that in an interview, and I really took it to heart; whenever I step on the floor, I play for that person. ~ Tyson Chandler

Failure builds muscle,
determination, and dreams. ~ Michael Jordan

As you become a legend in the game, you build more doubters than you build supporters. And that's fine. I think that comes with anything that's challenging. I think it even comes with sports. The older that Michael Jordan got, I think the more doubted he became. ~ Nelly

For a competitive junkie like me, golf is a great solution because it smacks you in the face every time you think you have accomplished something. That to me has taken over a lot of the energy and competitiveness for basketball. ~ Michael Jordan

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 that sense of who you are. ~ Michael Jordan

Earl "The Goat" Manigault was probably the greatest basketball player of all time, but Michael Jordan is universally regarded as the best ever. This is because The Goat only did it at Rucker Park, while Michael did it where it mattered: in front of the world. ~ Tucker Max

I didn't come here to be average. ~ Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are really part of a very big advertising program, and the fact that they make so much money is because the markets have dictated that they get that money, and the fact that they endorse our products allows us to sell more products and create more jobs. ~ Phil Knight

I'm not the guy whose gonna shoot 10,000 free-throws until I'm Michael Jordan - and it did happen kind of accidentally that I said, "Okay, yeah, I'll try singing." ~ D.A. Wallach

My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength. ~ Michael Jordan

When I played with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team, there was a huge gap between his ability and the ability of the other great players on that team. But what impressed me was that he was always the first one on the floor and the last one to leave. ~ Steve Alford

The best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are. ~ Michael Jordan

As a student of the game, it is a dream come true to align myself with a brand that has a rich history in sports. Like most kids, I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and continue to work relentlessly to reach his iconic status on the court. I'm truly motivated to take my career to the next level as a member of Team Jordan, ~ Maya Moore

I'd take 12 guys who had a strong passion for the game over 12 guys who don't respect the game. ~ Michael Jordan

When I step onto the court, I'm ready to play. If you're going up against me, you'd better be ready. If you're not going to compete, I will dominate you. ~ Michael Jordan

Authenticity is about being true to who you are, even when everyone around you wants you to be someone else ~ Michael Jordan

The key to success is failure ~ Michael Jordan

Persevere with a positive attitude - Michael Jordan ~ Sharon Hughson

You can't explain much in 60 seconds, but when you show Michael Jordan, you don't have to. It's that simple. ~ Phil Knight

After Michael Jordan had scored a play-off record 69 points - I'll always remember this as the night Michael and I combined to score 70 points. ~ Stacey King

Look me in the eye. It's ok if you're scared. So am I. But we are scared for different reasons. I am scared of what I won't become. And you are scared of what I could become. Look at me. I won't let myself end where I started. I won't let myself finish where I began. I know what is within me, even if you can't see it yet. Look me in the eyes. I have something more important than courage. I have patience. I will become what I know I am. ~ Michael Jordan

Studies show that most people rate themselves well above average when it comes to ethical behavior. In fact, a newsmagazine poll asked people whom they thought would get to heaven. Bill Clinton was a toss-up, getting 52 percent backing from respondents. Former basketball star Michael Jordan did better, at 62 percent. Mother Teresa topped the two American men with 79 percent. But she was not the highest. That honor went to "yourself," with 87 percent. ~ Michael Wheeler

Suddenly all is quiet. The other nine players? They're all moving in slow motion! I'm at normal speed! I know where everyone's going even before they know themselves. The basket is huge, maybe six feet across! How can I miss? It's like throwing a rock into a pond. ~ Michael Jordan

I grew up in Chicago, and I understand what Michael Jordan symbolizes. ~ Dwyane Wade

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. ~ Michael Jordan

It's a habit of mine now, noticing labels, logos, shoes. ~ Michael Jordan

We're not winning because of talent. We're just beating bad teams. ~ Michael Jordan

Whatever you paid to see Michael Jordan it wasn't enough. You knew that every night out there you were gonna get the greatest concert of your life. ~ Michael Wilbon

When Michael Jordan quit, I suddenly found myself without a sports hero. ~ Mike Royko

Do I need my number retired throughout the course of the league to acknowledge what I've done? No. ~ Michael Jordan

One of the greatest things about my job is that I can enjoy all the successes of a show, but can still go out in public, not like say, Michael Jordan. ~ Rob Paulsen

We had to be to the stadium at six o'clock for home games, and traffic was so bad it would take us an hour and fifteen or an hour and thirty minutes to drive. So now I'm sitting in a car for almost an hour and a half and I'm very tense. I'm worried about the traffic. So I started smoking a cigar going to the games. ~ Michael Jordan

When I was playing before I retired, I never really understood the appreciation and the respect that people gave me. People had treated me like a god or something, and that was very embarrassing. ~ Michael Jordan

Ultimately, if you can say that I'm a bad owner and we're winning championships, I can live with that. But if we're not making the playoffs and we're spending and losing money, then I have to look in the mirror and say maybe I'm not taking the necessary steps to doing what it takes to run an organization. ~ Michael Jordan

I'm retired 99.9%. Of course, there always is that .1%. ~ Michael Jordan

It was a great time to grow up in Chicago. It was the mid-'80s, and we had the '85 Bears and the Michael Jordan era. ~ Bailey Chase

You have Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan ... and Mario Lemieux. He's the best in hockey, in my opinion. ~ Kordell Stewart

It was the Michael Jordan/Nike phenomenon that really let people see that athletes were OK, and black athletes were OK. Defying a previous wisdom - not only that black athletes wouldn't sell in white America, but that the NBA as a predominantly black sport could not sell in white America. ~ David Stern

Growing up, Michael Jordan was my Olympic hero. ~ Kerri Walsh

Being afraid on the court, means you're not confident of your skills ~ Michael Jordan

The man that got me into collecting sneakers in the first place was the man they call Michael Jordan. He was the one who kind of exposed me to the sneaker world - he was my favorite basketball player, and he had the best shoes. ~ Macklemore

There are some remarkable parallels between basketball and politics. Michael Jordan has already mastered the skill most needed for political success: how to stay aloft without visible means of support. ~ Margaret Thatcher

I realized that if I was going to achieve anything in life I had to be aggressive. I had to get out there and go for it ... I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it's an illusion to me. ~ Michael Jordan

I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges. ~ Michael Jordan

I dont take pictures with Niggas ~ Michael Jordan

I won't have any competitive instincts in any sports, other than golf. I can't see being competitive in sports any more. ~ Michael Jordan

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. ~ Michael Jordan

A coach is someone that sees beyond your limits and guides you to greatness! ~ Michael Jordan

Being Michael Jordan means acting the same as I always have. ~ Michael Jordan

I never feared about my skills because I put in the work. Work ethic eliminates fear. So if you put forth the work, what are you fearing? You know what you're capable of doing and what you're not. ~ Michael Jordan

Don't be like me. Be better than me. That's the goal. ~ Michael Jordan

I can appect failure, but I cannot accept not trying. ~ Michael Jordan

I always said if I ever get married, I would tell my woman - I love Michael Jordan, I am a Michael Jordan fanatic - I said, 'Michael Jordan is the only athlete you can sleep with and I wouldn't get mad, as long as you got something signed. You gotta bring back a ball, a hat or something. You can't just give away that sh*t for free.' ~ Aries Spears

I realize that I'm black, but I like to be viewed as a person, and this is everybody's wish. ~ Michael Jordan

I want to play for years. ~ Michael Jordan

I was a die-hard, obsessed fan of Michael Jordan. I'd take his posters with me to away meets, I'd walk out on the deck in my Air Jordans before I swam, I'd write 23 on my cap. I'm just a huge Jordan fan. ~ Summer Sanders

I was aware of my success, but I never stopped trying to get better, ~ Michael Jordan

When you speak of role models, when we talk to our kids, everybody is a role model, everyone, just as you look at a Michael Jordan to be the terrific athlete he is. ~ Walter Payton

As brilliant an individual that Michael Jordan was, he was not successful until he got with a good team unit. ~ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

He's very knowledgeable. That's the one advantage that I see in Kobe Bryant's career compared to Michael Jordan. Ten years into Kobe Bryant's career, we're seeing a very polished 27-year-old player who's probably got another seven or eight great years ahead of him. ~ Scottie Pippen

We all fly. Once you leave the ground, you fly. Some people fly longer than others. ~ Michael Jordan

I very rarely saw Tom Kite around. I've talked to Tom about it. I don't think Michael Jordan needed to be on the captain's cart with Kite; he needed to be walking in the gallery, supporting them from outside the ropes. ~ Payne Stewart

When people start comparing him with (Michael) Jordan then that's not a fair comparison. Jordan was a far more superior player in a very tough league, he was very creative. That's not taking away anything from LeBron because he is a great player, but it is not a fair comparison because Jordan is a far superior player. ~ Hakeem Olajuwon

Because I want every kid to be viewed as a person rather than as a member of a certain race does not mean that I'm not black enough ... Do they want me to be positive just for black kids and negative for everybody else? ~ Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan always had to wear University of North Carolina boxer shorts under his Chicago Bulls uniform. ~ Atul Gawande

If you look up the definition of greatness in the dictionary, it will say Michael Jordan. ~ Elgin Baylor

To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail. ~ Michael Jordan

It's probably a twelve-day. He needs two days to wake up. ~ Michael Jordan

The greatest people that ever lived were also the greatest failures. They just didn't let those failures affect them like they do most. ~ Michael Jordan

Obviously you look at "Magic" (Ervin Johnson) and Michael (Jordan) and you learn from them growing up, but I think you are just born with it from day one. ~ Michael Redd

Some people wish it would happen, some pepole want it to happen, others make it happen ~ Michael Jordan

Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there. What is there is an opportunity to do your best and gain some success. ~ Michael Jordan

Playing sick. That is so hard to do. It has to be a total mental challenge, as well as the physical challenge. ~ Michael Jordan

I did not choose necessarily on the basis of significance. If you have a vote for the most significant athlete, then you have Ali, then you have Babe Ruth, then you have Michael Jordan. ~ Dick Schaap

I can accept failure but cannot accept trying ~ Michael Jordan

If nobody will help you, do it alone! There is no 'i' in team, but there is '1' in WIN! ~ Michael Jordan

I didn't have a role model. My role model was Michael Jordan. Bad role model for an Indian dude ... I didn't have anyone who looked like me. And by the time I was old enough to have what could have been a role model, they were my peers. Aziz Ansari is my peer. Kal Penn is my peer. ~ Utkarsh Ambudkar

You have to be uncompromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared ... Excellence isn't a one-week or one-year ideal. It's a constant. There will be days when you don't feel on top of your game, or meetings in which you aren't at your best, but your commitment remains constant. No compromises. ~ Michael Jordan

I viewed it as a business, but I always viewed it as a game. An opportunity to show my skills, my basketball skills, amongst the best in the world. ~ Michael Jordan

Don't let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in. ~ Michael Jordan

Doug Christie, what skill, what strenght, what power, what quickness. The visionof Magic Johnson, the athletisicm of Michael Jordan, the toughness of larry Bird. Dough Christie has it all ~ Bill Walton

My mother is my root, my foundation. She planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to achieve starts in your mind. ~ Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was four years old and was considered not very bright. Oprah Winfrey was demoted from a news anchor job because she was thought to be unfit for television. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for lacking imagination. Thomas Edison was called stupid by his teachers. The Beatles were told they didn't have a great sound and rejected by Decca Recording Studios. Dr. Suess was rejected by twenty-seven publishers. Abraham Lincoln had a long list of failures, including eight election losses and a nervous breakdown. ~ Tim Suttle

All I wanted to do was to improve, to keep getting better. ~ Michael Jordan

The best players are always in the thick of the action. (Michael) Jordan did it with the Bulls, (Kobe) Bryant does it with the Lakers and Leo does it here. We want him to stay with us because he's the best and we wouldn't swap him for anyone. ~ Ronaldinho

Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game. ~ Michael Jordan

When you're drug kingpin - you're a mayor. You are a governor. But of a different society. You get to do what you want to do, just like any mayor. You can park your car anywhere. You get the best women. You go to the restaurants and eat free. It was like being a rock star. Like being Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. It was just pure freedom, everything I was looking for. I desperately wanted freedom. ~ Rick Ross

You believe an eye for an eye until you are put in that situation. If they kill those guys, it really doesn't mean much to me. My father is gone. ~ Michael Jordan

My idol when I was growing up was Michael Jordan the basketball player because of his work ethic rather than his talent and because of what he went through to be as good as he was. ~ Justin Timberlake

I took cooking classes when I was younger; girls weren't interested in me, and I thought I may be alone for the rest of my life. ~ Michael Jordan

Man, meeting Michael Jordan for me was like.. black Jesus walking towards me. It was overwhelming to me to finally meet the guy I've looked up to my whole life. ~ LeBron James

Anyone who would argue that this third-generatio n MDX is an SUV might as well belong to the Flat Earth Society. The 2014 Acura MDX is the perfect expression of the modern car - capable, spacious, and friendly to drive. ~ Michael Jordan

In reality, I never want to grow up. ~ Michael Jordan

There was never any fear for me, no fear of failure. If I miss a shot, so what? ~ Michael Jordan

The truth is, I've never thought of myself as the Michael Jordan of comedy. And that's a good thing. You know why? Because I'm not. Wasn't that Richard Pryor? Yes, it was. I know what I am: I'm funny! ~ Tracy Morgan

Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work. ~ Michael Jordan

My fellow Wilmington, North Carolina native Meadowlark Lemon is a true national treasure. I watched him play for the Harlem Globetrotters when I was growing up and his skill with the basketball and dedication to the game were an inspiration not only to me, but to kids all around the world. ~ Michael Jordan

It's a heavy duty to try to do everything and please everybody. My job was to go out there and play the game of basketball as best I can and provide entertainment for everyone who wanted to watch basketball. Obviously, people may not agree with that; again, I can't live with what everyone's impression of what I should or what I shouldn't do. ~ Michael Jordan

Behind every one of Michael Jordan's heart stopping buzzer beating spine scintillating game winning shots, lie the corpses of a thousand missed childhood driveway shots. ~ Khang Kijarro Nguyen

I think the players win the championship, and the organization has something to do with it, don't get me wrong. But don't try to put the organization above the players. ~ Michael Jordan