by Pat Williams
What People Are Saying About
How to Be Like Mike . . .
“Pat Williams is a great motivational speaker, and now motivates us again using the life and characteristics of Michael Jordan. Pat has captured much of what makes Michael, Michael, and in doing so will help you reach your potential.”
—Dean Smith
former head basketball coach, University of North Carolina
“Pat Williams writes the book that could be a collaboration of Dale Carnegie and Studs Terkel. He talks to everyday people about the most unique person. And he comes away with a guide to success.”
—Sam Smith
sportswriter, Chicago Tribune
“How to Be Like Mike is an insight into the tools that made Michael Jordan the best competitor in sports. In order to win, you have to hate losing, and nobody loathed that feeling more than Michael. He possessed a unique ability to turn any task into competition and the uncompromising will to win any battle. Someone may come along with comparable athletic skills, but what set Michael apart was his mental strength.”
—George Karl
NBA head coach
“Be it sports, politics or life, Pat Williams shows us how to get it done—the Michael Jordan way.”
—Tim Russert
moderator, NBC’s Meet the Press
“Fascinating and entertaining! Learn and relive the success secrets from the most amazing basketball player by the most amazing storyteller. Great stuff!”
—Pat Croce
former president, Philadelphia 76ers
“The coaching profession is a very competitive one where everybody’s always looking to get better. As long as you weren’t coaching against him, Michael Jordan was an absolute joy to watch. Pat Williams’s new book was an absolute joy to read. And you’ll be a better coach and person after you’ve read it.”
—Jerry Tarkanian
head basketball coach, Fresno State University
“This is Pat Williams’s best book yet. Anyone who reads this will never again ask, ‘Why was Michael Jordan so special?’ Young and old alike will be inspired to excellence after reading How to Be Like Mike.”
—Bill Fitch
former NBA coach
“Inspiration begets inspiration! Hundreds of wonderful stories accounting the personal experiences by those people closest to Michael Jordan. You’ll learn about Mike from those who truly knew him best!”
—John Gabriel
general manager, Orlando Magic
“Pat Williams demonstrates he is both an observant student and astute teacher when describing the natural relationship that exists between athletic competition and inspirational messages. While none of us will ever truly know what special ingredients make Michael Jordan the competitor he is, How to Be Like Mike comes as close to capturing the essence of Mr. Jordan as I’ve seen while providing inspiration to us all.”
—Kevin Johnson
former NBA player
“This book is filled with priceless information way beyond Michael Jordan. Do yourself a favor—read it and then buy a copy for everyone in your galaxy.”
—Lefty Driesell
longtime college basketball coach
“I’m assigning How to Be Like Mike as required reading for my players at the University of Louisville. This is a terrific book that is going to have wide-ranging impact.”
—Rick Pitino
head basketball coach, University of Louisville
“Pat Williams has done it again! No one can capture the great qualities of Michael Jordan like Pat. This is a ‘must read’ for anyone associated with sports.”
—Lute Olson
head basketball coach, University of Arizona
“Pat Williams has done a thorough research job on this book and now we all know what has to be done to be like Mike. I couldn’t stop reading.”
—Doc Rivers
head coach, Orlando Magic
How to Be Like
MIKE
LIFE LESSONS ABOUT BASKETBALL’S BEST
Pat Williams
With Michael Weinreb
www.hcibooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available through the Library of Congress.
© 2001 Pat Williams
eISBN-13: 978-0-7573-9544-4 (ebook) eISBN-10: 0-7573-9544-9 (ebook)
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
HCI, its logos and marks are trademarks of Health Communications, Inc.
Publisher: Health Communications, Inc.
3201 S. W. 15th Street
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442-8190
R-01-07
Cover design by Lisa Camp
Cover photo by ALLSPORT Photography
Inside book design by Lawna Patterson Oldfield
Pat Williams:
To my son Michael—
May the lessons of this “other”
Michael penetrate your life.
Michael Weinreb:
To my grandmothers, B and E,
who have probably never heard
of this “other” Michael.
Other Books by
Pat Williams
The Gingerbread Man
The Power Within You
We Owed You One
Nothing but Winners
Rekindled
Keep the Fire Glowing
Just Between Us
Twelve Part Harmony
Kindling
Love Her, Like Him
Making Magic
Jock Jokes
Go for the Magic
The Magic of Teamwork
Ahead of the Game
A Lifetime of Success
Marketing Your Dreams
Secrets from the Mountain
It Happens on Sunday
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Just for Teens: Mike in the Mirror
Foreword by Grant Hill
Word of Tribute by Doug Collins
A Memory of a Young Michael Jordan by Richard Neher
A Michael Jordan Memory by Harvey Araton
Prologue
ONE: The Tunnel
TWO: The Joy
THREE: The Hard Way
FOUR: The Fight
FIVE: The Promise
SIX: The Champion of the Whole World
SEVEN: The Killer in Control
EIGHT: The Fist
NINE: The Eyes Upon You
TEN: The Social Genius
ELEVEN: The Right Call
Epilogue
Afterword by Michael Weinreb
About the Author
List of Interviews
Bibliography
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Bob Vander Weide, president and CEO of RDV Sports, and the RDV Sports family; Melinda Ethington, my invaluable assistant; Leslie Boucher and Hank Martens of the mailroom at RDV Sports; Ken Hussar and Bob Rosenberg for their thorough proofreading of this book; Mark Victor Hansen, for his encouragement; Peter Vegso of Health Communications, Inc. , and his fine staff, including Christine Belleris, Allison Janse, Lisa Drucker, Susan Tobias, Larissa Hise Henoch, Lawna Patterson Oldfield, Dawn Grove, Anthony Clausi, Terry Burke, Kim Weiss and Kelly Maragni; to Bryan Harris, book promoter extraordinaire; Michael Weinreb, a skilled young writer who has organized this material brilliantly; my wife, Ruth, and our children, who have been so supportive of this project.
—Pat Williams
Thanks to Steve, Nancy, Paul, Carolyn, Adam and
Alexander Weinreb; to my friends, especially Kevin Gorman, Damian Dobrosielski, B. J. Reyes, Ryan Jones, Chuck Klosterman, David Giffels, Beth McNichol, Greg Couch and Steve Recker; to Terry Pluto, Larry Pantages, the memory of Jim Derendal and all of my colleagues and friends in Akron; and to all of my classmates in the Boston University fiction writing program. And thanks, of course, to Pat Williams, for his unceasing energy, and for his belief in both the project and in me.
David Halberstam’s biography of Jordan, Playing for Keeps, was a wonderful resource and inspiration.
—Michael Weinreb
JUST FOR TEENS:
MIKE IN THE MIRROR
Congratulations! As a teenager, you have made a wise choice in selecting this book. Your second great decision is to aspire to be like Mike. Surely be yourself (nobody else wants the job), but as you assimilate Michael’s traits and begin to release those Jordan endorphins, you will have a major head start on your peers. (As one who has raised nineteen teenagers and has interviewed over 1, 500 people about Michael Jordan, some might consider me an authority on both subjects. ) Attach this handy checklist to your mirror so you will be able to take a daily progress inventory of your mission to be like Mike.
Focus. Train your mind to concentrate upon the essentials and discard the frivolous and unimportant.
Passion & Energy. Enthusiasm is one of the greatest emotions. Without it there is no achievement. With it, a new idea can win over an old idea.
Hard Work. If you want to leave your footprints on the sands of time, you’d better wear work shoes.
Perseverance. Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.
Responsibility. “Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility.”
—Michael Korda
Influence. The greatest of motivational principles is: People do what people see. As adults we are still playing Follow the Leader.
Competing and Winning. Winners expect to win in advance. Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Teamwork. People support what they help create.
Leadership. Good leadership should do more than attract followers. It should produce more leaders.
Respect, Trust, Loyalty. There’s only one thing finer than a friend you can trust, and that’s one who trusts you.
Character. We all want character, but not the trials that produce it. You can’t build character in a cocoon.
—Pat Williams
FOREWORD
By Grant Hill
Orlando Magic All-Star
Even though tens of thousands wear Air Jordans, there will never be another who fills Michael Jordan’s shoes—and I know from personal experience! I am flattered by comparisons, but realistically I can never live up to his achievements. What MJ has done for basketball, sports in general, race relations . . . it’s incalculable. It’s time to give “Who’s going to be the next Michael Jordan?” a rest. It’s unfair to Michael and to every other aspiring athlete.
The fascination with MJ continues. Will he return? People want him back so badly. He has had such an enormous hold on us and our culture. His presence as an active player has been sorely missed.
The eleven chapters that follow capture Michael’s persona perfectly. He schooled us on and off the court, and as one of his students, I give him A pluses across the board.
Focus. With a game on the line, MJ could achieve a level of focus no one else could reach. He never got rattled. His concentration was impenetrable. It was part of his genius.
Passion & Energy. Michael is passionate about basketball and truly loved playing. His energy level allowed him to overcome fatigue in a remarkable, transcendent way.
Work. Difficult as it is to recall, MJ did have weaknesses when he entered the NBA, but he worked tirelessly to improve and soon those weaknesses—defense and outside shooting— became his added strengths.
Perseverance. MJ won through his will. He was such a tough opponent because he would never quit. I can speak firsthand as to how frustrating that is to an opponent!
Responsibility. MJ lives—and thrives—under a microscope. I believe this visibility intensifies his sense of responsibility to his sport, family, community and country.
Influence. What an influence and impact MJ has been to millions—not simply to the wannabes on the playgrounds—but to us in the NBA, too. Tracy McGrady, Shaq, Kobe, Allen Iverson and I are still striving to emulate him—yes, to be like Mike! He is truly the role model’s role model. He personifies how to conduct oneself on and off the court.
Competing and Winning. I believe his competitive juices boil. It is known far and wide that MJ hates to lose, be it a simple card game or a Game Seven in the Finals. He always wants to win and that championship passion fuels him.
Teamwork. MJ is the ultimate one-on-one player, yet he understands that winning big is determined by involving his teammates. Putting that philosophy in sneakers daily translated into a dynasty of six titles in eight years.
Leadership. MJ leads by example. He demands no more from his teammates than he demands from himself.
Respect, Trust, Loyalty. Michael has a great respect for the game and the people in the game, and he reveres his predecessors who provided the foundation for today’s NBA. When you respect people, they trust you, and trust breeds loyalty. For example, the loyalty MJ had for coach Phil Jackson is rare in our profession.
Character. Michael is certainly not perfect. He is flawed like the rest of us. It is obvious to those of us who know him well, and probably to even casual observers, that quality of character has been embedded in his make-up. How else can one explain his self-discipline, humility, honesty, integrity and courage?
Pat Williams and Michael Weinreb have captured the essence of Michael Jordan in an extraordinary way. This book is thoroughly researched, and the lessons from MJ’s career are so vividly explained that you will be able to apply them in your life. When you have “completed the MJ course,” you will discover that all of us can be like Mike.
August 1, 2001
Orlando, Florida
WORD OF TRIBUTE
By Doug Collins
Head Coach, Washington Wizards
Anyone who knows Michael Jordan and is asked to comment about him runs the risk of running out of superlatives but is never in danger of being accused of hyperbole. My first head coaching job in the NBA was with the Chicago Bulls, and I had the privilege of coaching Michael early in his pro career.
Not only is Michael a coach’s dream, but he’s a sportswriter’s/commentator’s godsend because in reporting on his achievements on and off the court, it takes little time to compose a litany of praise.
When reflecting on MJ, these words immediately come to mind . . .
• ultimate competitor
• quintessential example
• punctual
• prepared
• respectful
Michael brought his“A game” every night, no matter who the competition was. Before each game I would observe him dealing with the media and his legions of fans, and then, as if an alarm would sound in his head, his focus would shift, and you could read in his eyes, “I’m ready for combat.”
He would bring that same intensity to practice and win every sprint. He was always punctual, and he set an example for his teammates by working hard daily. His professionalism and leadership meant that I didn’t have to say a whole lot to get the players motivated. His inner fire served to spark his teammates to perform at their highest level.
Michael was the most fundamentally sound player I have ever seen. Rick Majerus, head coach at the University of Utah, would show his players a highlight film of what things Jordan, the ultimate player, would do on the court. The highlights contained no footage of Michael posterizing an opponent with a thunderous dunk or a dazzling, gravity-defying pirouette on the way to the bucket. What the tape did show, ho
wever, was Michael dishing assists, filling the lane, playing defense, diving after loose balls, taking charges. . . .
In my basketball career I have been associated with many great players, but there is only one Michael Jordan. No one that I have witnessed has his passion for the game. He is a gym rat at heart.
In addition to his incredible skill and performance level, he has a great respect for the fans, his coaches, the competition, his fellow players and the game itself. He respects those who preceded him in elevating the level of play in the NBA, particularly Julius Erving.
To this day when I think of Michael Jordan, I get a warm feeling. He gave me the chance to be successful as a coach, and I will be forever grateful for that.
Since I left as the Bulls’ coach over ten years ago, I’ve enjoyed watching Michael’s unbelievable success from afar. During the whole period, I’ve wrestled with two questions: did Michael respect me as a coach, and did I help him in his career?
So, you can imagine my feelings when my phone rang in late April 2001. It was Michael, asking me for my help and telling me he wanted me to come to Washington and coach his franchise, the Wizards. That was the ultimate sign of respect to me. Here was the greatest player of all time, building a team from the ground up, and he wanted me! Wow! That’s like a golfer getting a call from Tiger Woods asking him to play on his team.
Michael’s call to me closed the cycle of my life and career. I felt as if I had come full circle.
Pat Williams and Michael Weinreb have done an amazing job of research in capturing the essence of Michael Jordan. When you read about the eleven attributes that characterize Michael, I can assure you that you won’t become another Mike. There is only one Michael Jordan. But I can also guarantee that as you apply these characteristics to your daily regimen, you will be preparing yourself to perform at a championship level.
August 1, 2001
Washington, D. C.