Michael Jordan was one of the most feared competitors in sporting history. While on the court, Jordan inspired such fear in his opponents that his peers started calling him ‘Black Jesus‘. On the court, Jordan looked untouchable and unshakeable, but the public perception of MJ might be slightly off. The cold-blooded assassin also felt fear.
In 2008, in a Jordan commercial titled Look Me in The Eyes, No. 23 talked in-depth about his relationship with fear. But MJ revealed that his fears were rooted in “What he won’t become“, while his adversaries remained worried about “What he might“.
This simple yet transformative shift in thinking inspired His Airness to push his limits, ultimately becoming the biggest name in basketball history.
NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal, seems to have instilled his kids with a similar mentality, as Jordan’s message from his 2008 commercial seemed to hit home for Shaq’s youngest son, Shaqir O’Neal. The Tigers forward recently posted a ‘Maximise‘ edit of the commercial on his Instagram story.
While the Instagram edit doesn’t utilize the original footage from the 2008 commercial, the video does retain MJ’s beautiful narration in its background. The inspirational short video showed glimpses of various iconic moments in Jordan’s career, like when he won his first championship, his iconic buzzer beaters, and footage from his first dunk competition in 1987.
Looking back at the 2008 Jordan commercial, it is hard to not feel inspired, especially considering the initial version had the likes of Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony on it.
Revisiting Michael Jordan’s iconic 2008 commercial
In 2008, Michael Jordan and JB [Jordan Brand] were running their Be Legendary campaign. As part of it, they launched an exclusive ‘Fear Pack’ line, a retro release of Jordan’s shoes, but in darker tones and colorways. In an attempt to spread awareness about the drop, JB and Nike decided to launch a promotional advertisement titled Look Me In The Eyes.
While MJ didn’t appear on the commercial he did voice it. Jordan delivered his lines in his patent deep voice, with his lines reading,
“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.”
Jordan’s experience and approach to fear are common in most all-time greats. Their obsession for perfection seems to stem from the fear of living an unfulfilled life, where their potential never manifested itself.