Sports
Former Trainer Explains How Michael Jordan Used a Second Stat Sheet to Motivate Himself
Michael Jordan was an enigma for the entire league. Very few people could answer how Jordan would stay so motivated. But that motivation brought about the reign of arguably the greatest player of all time. Jordan became a phenomenon in the league, winning multiple NBA championships and MVP titles. But how did Jordan work up this level of motivation? His former trainer says he used a special stat sheet.
Former trainer talks about MJ’s stat sheet
Tim Grover, the former personal trainer to Michael Jordan, spoke in an interview about ‘His Airness’. He revealed that Michael Jordan got two stat sheets after a game. One was the standard stat sheet, and the other was a stat sheet that showed him his negatives. How many free throws he missed, turnovers, fouls, and other negative aspects of his play would be highlighted on his sheet for him to see.
Grover said, “At the end of the game, there’s the stat sheet that all the teams get. The stat sheet has how many minutes you played, how many points you scored, how many shots you took, rebounds, assists, fouls, free throws, and all those things. Michael used to have a second stat sheet. He would have a stat sheet of all the free throws he missed, the fouls he committed, the turnovers he had, all the negative stuff. And I asked him ‘explain this to me.’”
Michael Jordan continued to improve after every game
Grover revealed that Jordan had his reasons for the stat sheet. MJ didn’t want to celebrate and rest on the things he did right; he saw those as his responsibility. But rather, he would focus on what he was doing wrong so that he could improve himself.
Grover said, “He goes ‘I’m supposed to score points, I’m supposed to get rebounds, I’m supposed to make my teammates better. I don’t want to get acknowledged for the things I’m supposed to do’… He’s just like ‘I’m not supposed to turn the ball over. I’m not supposed to miss free throws, I’m supposed to make my teammates better. So I need to work hard consistently on those three things on a regular basis, and the other things will automatically get better.’”
READ MORE: ‘Shrewd Businessman’: Kwame Brown Reveals How Michael Jordan Drafting Him in 2001 Went Wrong
Michael Jordan used his failures, even in a game, to motivate him to get better every day. Regardless of how he was feeling, Jordan would work very hard to improve.
The post Former Trainer Explains How Michael Jordan Used a Second Stat Sheet to Motivate Himself appeared first on EssentiallySports.
