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Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player in the history of basketball, and his resume is longer than most NBA legends. In fact, even if you remove half of his accolades and achievements, he would still be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
It is no surprise that people would look to him for inspiration. He is now the go-to metaphor for overachieving legends in any field, saying "He/She is the Michael Jordan of ..." to suggest they are the best at something.
Jordan has had several great quotes over his career, and several since his retirement as well. He has inspired an entire generation of athletes, including legends like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. King James admitted that he fell in love with the sport and wears No. 23 because of His Airness. When he surpassed Jordan as the all-time playoff scorer, he said:
"I wear the number because of Mike. I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, seeing what he was able to accomplish. … When you're growing up and seeing Michael Jordan, he's almost like a God."
What are some quotes by Michael Jordan that people still talk about?
Jordan was the ultimate competitor and took pride in humiliating his opponents. He lost the first three games of the 1990-91 NBA season and then made it his mission to never embark on a losing streak. MJ never lost three games in a row for the rest of his career in Chicago. He once famously said that if he had more than 48 minutes in a game, he would never lose:
"I never lost a game. I just ran out of time."
Jordan dominated the game by instilling fear in his defenders. He is one of the fiercest trash-talkers of all time and often destroyed opponents with his words. His list of shenanigans on the court is endless. He once shot a free throw with his eyes closed to taunt Dikembe Mutombo and reminded trash-talking rookie Reggie Miller that he is "Black Jesus."
While recalling "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference first-round series against the Cavaliers, he said:
"They had Craig Ehlo on me at the time, which was, in all honesty, a mistake."
Jordan once said:
"I own the game. I own the guy guarding me."
These quotes aren't inspirational but rather a gloating display of his dominance. Jordan wasn't always a braggart, though. He inspired his teammates and defenders to be better players. Despite holding many NBA records, the five-time MVP talked about missing potential game-winning shots and not letting it faze him:
"I've missed more than 9,000 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."
Similarly, the six-time champion also once said:
"I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."
And also:
"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."
Jordan pushed his teammates to the limit in practice and was often called an "a***ole." However, he led by example and did everything he asked his teammates to do while constantly reminding them that quitting is not an option. MJ said:
"If you quit once, it becomes a habit. Never quit."
This particular quote has been used hundreds of times to inspire people to keep going.
Guess the Lakers players!
