Michael Jordan’s unwavering pursuit of glory is as startling as it is strong. However, as great as he was on the court, MJ’s personality and attitude toward his teammates weren’t always lighthearted. He demanded the best from them, wanting to win at any cost.
This approach—unsurprisingly—earned him some massive criticism. But the six-time NBA champion has explained his perspective clearly. Mike always demanded excellence from his teammates because he knew what it took to win and wanted people to know that his definition of winning was far different than anyone else’s.
“That was leadership,” Jordan began in an interview with GQ Magazine. “I was the only guy there from 1984. I was there when there were 6,000 people in the stands. So, I took pride in making sure every guy understood what it took to get us to this point.”
“I never took a day off,” he continued. “If I took a day off, then Scottie was going to take a day off. And then Horace. The next thing you know, the whole scope of what we’re trying to do is being weakened. I never took a shortcut, and I never wanted anyone else to take a shortcut. If that means someone interprets me as a tyrant, I’m pretty sure they’re appreciative now.”
MJ was a born leader
Most of the time, when referring to someone in the context of “he carried the team on his back,” it refers to a player’s individual contribution and how he helps the team achieve their goals either by contributing a lot of points, defensive impact, or even motivating other players.
However, if there’s anyone whose laser focus allows him to do all of that while simultaneously identifying everyone else on the team’s needs to be successful, it is Jordan. Many agreed he may have overdone it a little in his aggressiveness and demands toward his teammates. However, there are different leadership styles.
Some leaders thrive on building rapport and developing consensus with the team. Others thrive on developing a model of dedication, aggressiveness, and talent for the team to emulate. No. 23 deployed the second leadership style, which worked quite well.
“I used my criticism, my aggressive language, my aggressive behavior, to make you conform,” the Chicago Bulls legend added. “Some people, like Sam Smith [author of The Jordan Rules], looked at this in a whole different frame of mind. At first, I was offended. Then I realized, people don’t understand our journey. I bet if you ask anyone now on those teams, they have a greater appreciation for what we achieved as opposed to the method we went by to achieve what we achieved.”
Mike’s approach bore fruit
Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships and ten scoring titles (the most in league history). He earned five NBA MVP awards, 10 All-NBA First Team selections, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, 14 NBA All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, three NBA steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.
Was MJ’s leadership style borderline vicious? Without a shadow of a doubt. To summarize it from his teammate’s perspective, Brendan Haywood put it best, “It’s, ‘Listen, do your damn job. If not, I ain’t got no time for you.'”
Regardless of how his teammates felt about it, we know one thing for sure: It fueled the North Carolina native to sheer greatness. He holds NBA records for career regular-season scoring average (30.1 points per game) and career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game). All the iron-fist leadership shaped his career, the careers of his teammates, and the history of the Bulls.