Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American former professional basketball player and the principal owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.

He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). Jordan is a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He became a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015. Jordan is also known for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike’s Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular today.

“Always turn a negative situation into a positive situation.” – Michael Jordan
“Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That’s truly about the game, and in some ways that’s about life too.” – Michael Jordan
“Being Michael Jordan means acting the same as I always have.” – Michael Jordan
“Best evaluation I can make of a player is to look in his eyes and see how scared they are.” – Michael Jordan
“Do I need my number retired throughout the course of the league to acknowledge what I’ve done? No.” – Michael Jordan
“Don’t let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in.” – Michael Jordan
“Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life.” – Michael Jordan
“Even when I’m old and gray, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.” – Michael Jordan
“Every time I feel tired while I am exercising and training, I close my eyes to see that picture, to see that list with my name. This usually motivates me to work again.” – Michael Jordan
“Everybody has talent, but ability takes hard work.” – Michael Jordan
“Failure is acceptable. but not trying is a whole different ball park.” – Michael Jordan
“For a competitive junkie like me, golf is a great solution because it smacks you in the face every time you think you’ve accomplished something. That to me has taken over a lot of the energy and competitiveness for basketball.” – Michael Jordan
“Heart is what separates the good from the great.” – Michael Jordan
“How many times have your parents told you not to do things, and the next thing you know, you go do it? And you realized you shouldn’t have done it.” – Michael Jordan
“I believe greatness is an evolutionary process that changes and evolves era to era.” – Michael Jordan
“I built my talents on the shoulders of someone else’s talent.” – Michael Jordan
“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
“I hope the millions of people I’ve touched have the optimism and desire to share their goals and hard work and persevere with a positive attitude.” – Michael Jordan
“I know fear is an obstacle for some people, but it is an illusion to me. Failure always made me try harder the next time.” – Michael Jordan
“I never looked at the consequences of missing a big shot… When you think about the consequences you will always think of the negative result.” – Michael Jordan
“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game. And I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.” – Michael Jordan
“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.” – Michael Jordan
“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.” – Michael Jordan
“I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who love challenges.” – Michael Jordan
“I want to wake up every day and do whatever comes in my mind, and not feel pressure or obligations to do anything else in my life.” – Michael Jordan
“I would tell players to relax and never think about what’s at stake. Just think about the basketball game. If you start to think about who is going to win the championship, you’ve lost your focus.” – Michael Jordan
“I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.” – Michael Jordan
“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don’t do things half-heartedly. Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.” – Michael Jordan
“I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.” – Michael Jordan
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“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
“I’ve never been afraid to fail.” – Michael Jordan
“I’ve never lost a game I just ran out of time.” – Michael Jordan
“If I had been playing for money I would have complained a long time ago that I was underpaid.” – Michael Jordan
“If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I won’t look back and say I was afraid to try.” – Michael Jordan
“If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.” – Michael Jordan
“If you do the work you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” – Michael Jordan
“If you quit once it becomes a habit. Never quit!” – Michael Jordan
“If you’re trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I’ve had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
“In any investment, you expect to have fun and make money.” – Michael Jordan
“In college I never realized the opportunities available to a pro athlete. I’ve been given the chance to meet all kinds of people, to travel and expand my financial capabilities, to get ideas and learn about life, to create a world apart from basketball.” – Michael Jordan
“It’s 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. People may not agree with that. I can’t live with what everyone’s impression of what I should or what I shouldn’t do.” – Michael Jordan
“I’ve failed over and over again. And thats why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan
“Learning’s a gift, even when pain is your teacher.” – Michael Jordan
“Live the moment for the moment.” – Michael Jordan
“Make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
“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
“My body could stand the crutches but my mind couldn’t stand the sideline.” – Michael Jordan
“My challenge when I came back was to face the young talent, to dissect their games, and show them maybe that they needed to learn more about the game than just the money aspect.” – Michael Jordan
“My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said you never know what you can accomplish until you try.” – Michael Jordan
“My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.” – Michael Jordan
“Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
“Once I made a decision, I never thought about it again.” – Michael Jordan
“One day, you might look up and see me playing the game at 50. Don’t laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
“Sometimes you need to get hit in the head to realize that you’re in a fight.” – Michael Jordan
“Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.” – Michael Jordan
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan
“The best come from the worst.” – Michael Jordan
“The game has its ups and downs, but you can never lose focus of your individual goals and you can’t let yourself be beat because of lack of effort.” – Michael Jordan
“The game is my wife. It demands loyalty and responsibility, and it gives me back fulfillment and peace.” – Michael Jordan
“The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, place I’ve always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It’s been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, given me the greatest respect and love for the game.” – Michael Jordan
“The good part about being famous is being able to help people. The hard part is every day you have to be in a good mood, because that is what people expect. You learn to get good at it.” – Michael Jordan
“The key to success is failure.” – Michael Jordan
“The minute you get away from fundamentals – whether it’s proper technique, work ethic or mental preparation – the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.” – Michael Jordan
“There is no “I” in team but there is in win.” – Michael Jordan
“There is no such thing as a perfect basketball player, & I don’t believe there is only one greatest player either.” – Michael Jordan
“To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate.” – Michael Jordan
“To learn to succeed, you must first learn to fail.” – Michael Jordan
“What is love? Love is playing every game as if it’s your last!” – Michael Jordan
“When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals.” – Michael Jordan
“When I will lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game.” – Michael Jordan
“Winning isn’t always championships.” – Michael Jordan
“You can practice shooting 8 hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.” – Michael Jordan
“You have competition every day because you set such high standards for yourself that you have to go out every day and live up to that.” – Michael Jordan
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan

Tags: Quotes