Michael Jordan Biography

Product Description

The definitive biography of a legendary athlete.

The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball -- hitting nothing but net.

But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: he's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court -- until now.

Basketball journalist Roland Lazenby spent almost thirty years covering Michael Jordan's career in college and the pros. He witnessed Jordan's growth from a skinny rookie to the instantly recognizable global ambassador for basketball whose business savvy and success have millions of kids still wanting to be just like Mike. Yet Lazenby also witnessed the Michael Jordan whose drive and appetite are more fearsome and more insatiable than any of his fans could begin to know.

Michael Jordan: The Life explores both sides of his personality to reveal the fullest, most compelling story of the man who is Michael Jordan. Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with Jordan's friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: the player, the icon, and the man.

Top Reviews

Competition Problems
by Omar L. Harris (5 out of 5 stars)
June 26, 2017

This is the second biography of a major sports figure by Roland Lazenby I've read this year (the first being Showboat) and it's almost as if these were written by different authors. Not in a negative sense but the depth of the research done into Michael Jordan's lineage is far more extensive than that presented in Showboat. I think it also reflects the need to get the full context to try to encompass one of the most celebrated and successful sports figures ever. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and left with even greater appreciation for MJ's staggering success and the extremely good fortune he had due to a few key figures in his life.
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Everything Michael Jordan
by Mike Morgenstein (5 out of 5 stars)
December 14, 2018

This book covers everything Michael Jordan. That's no understatement as the beginning text goes into detail about the ancestry of the Jordans. Then we transition into Jordan's childhood - his friends and memories; his teenage and college years; his early and later pro years, his time with the Wizards, and his recent years as the owner of the Bobcats. From information gleaned from friends, close affiliates - business and personal, teammates, coaches, family, and Michael himself we a lucid view into his life and his mindset. The mindset of the most competitive person conceivable, for better (multiple championships and ultimate domination on the basketball courts) or for worse (gambling problems, scarred relationships, and a perhaps unwarranted and inopportune incrimination in a hall of fame speech).
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Great Biography Of A Great Man
by Sandra Iler Kirkland (5 out of 5 stars)
September 15, 2015

MJ. His Airness. Jordan Air. Michael Jordan is arguably, the best basketball player that has ever laced up his shoes. Fans all have favorite memories; his game-winning basket for the national title at UNC, the flu game, the jams, the high scores. He is one of the most easily identifiable individuals in the world as his fame spread past the courts to advertising and the movies. But who is this man?

Roland Lazenby has written a memoir biography of Michael Jordan. He takes the reader through his childhood and the family structure and issues. Jordan's time at the University of North Carolina and his relationship with coach Dean Smith is covered in depth as the reader learns how Jordan improved his game. His time with the Chicago Bulls led to a long run as world champions and the reader sees how the offense set up there was perfect for Jordan both to shine as an individual and as a teammate. His relationship with his teammates and his coaches is covered in detail, both during the good years and as the team came apart through player-management issues.

But this is not just a tribute book. Jordan's negative influences are also covered. The family issues and conflicts were a spur to Jordan. His competitive drive also led to gambling. Of course, few can forget the murder of his father and how that affected Jordan, leading to him leaving basketball for two years and trying to become a professional baseball player. The fact that Jordan's intense competitive drive made him less than supportive of teammates that weren't as talented or who didn't work as hard. Jordan was a master trash-talker and rode others mercilessly when they didn't measure up to his standards.

At the end of the book, the reader is left with a complete picture of this complicated man. Leaders are honored and adored, but few really understand the drive it takes to be the best. To spur others to achieve greatness, often leaders are less than kind and often even cruel, and that is also a part of leadership. Jordan has great athletic talent, an incredible energy and drive for success, loyalty to those he trusts, and has given the world moments that will always be remembered. At our core, we all want 'to be like Mike'. This book is recommended for sports fans and those interested in reading about how one individual finds the drive to compete and excel, until they are the best in the world.
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In particular it gives great insight into the mythical tale of the high school ...
by James Howe (4 out of 5 stars)
April 22, 2016

I was a kid of the 90s, the Jordan generation and spent countless hours pounding a basketball in my backyard, terrorizing my parents with constant thuds as I executed passes to myself off the house walls before driving to my hoop, red, over-sized Bulls jersey worn constantly, emblazoned predictably with the iconic '23'. Jordan brings back memories of school holidays, carefree times and childhood innocence.

That's why going back and reading this comprehensive Jordan biography as an adult was both refreshing and insightful, even though it is difficult to find a more exposed or covered sports star in our time. What more could there possibly be to say? But that I think is the beauty of this book - it doesn't have any earth shattering revelations, or new exclusive, but it is comprehensive and brings all the stories together in one.

It meant that I could revisit Jordan's history, learn about the formative years before he was the global megastar (and while I was just a toddler on the other side of the world) and contextualize his accomplishments. In particular it gives great insight into the mythical tale of the high school coach who "dropped Jordan from his team" (so much more complex than it gets presented as and in fact that coach had a huge influence on Jordan and great relationship).

As a fan it's easy to look back on the six championships of the Bulls era and assume they were a highly performing, high achieving team celebrating each others success. They were in fact almost dysfunctional and at each other constantly. But it was that competitiveness, that feeling of being slighted that drove Jordan and in turn made Jordan challenge and push his teammates.

It's a wonderful insight into the personality of someone extraordinary. Jordan is regularly described as a difficult teammate, someone who couldn't understand people accepting less than the best or not working as hard as possible, someone who put in more time and effort than seemed sustainable, had no tolerance for fools and could generally be rude, introverted, untrusting and mercenary in dealing with people to get what he wanted. I could not help thinking afterwards the similarity in personality between Jordan and revered business figures of our time - Jobs, Bezos, Musk - who all demonstrate an almost identical personality.

It's certainly not all rosy - the gambling, the messy family situation, etc - but I think this is what makes it an even more important read for people like me who grew up with Jordan and still revere him as the greatest of all time.

In summary, I would say that I started the booking thinking whether I really need to invest in almost 700 pages of Jordan history but it didn't take long to develop into a compelling read and one that helped fill in a number of blanks beyond the mainstream memories of a generation and round out the story.
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MJ complete history!
by Joe Anderson (5 out of 5 stars)
July 20, 2014

This was the best sports book I've read since Bill Simmons "Book of Basketball!" It's by far the best book on MJ since it starts out so early in. His life and chronicles all his high school,

Camps, and college games.

It fills in a lot of gaps that before were just touched on by "The Jordan Rules" through his time on the wizards with the book "When nothing else matters." It focuses much more on accomplishments and MJ's state of mind through interviews instead of how he treated people.

The book even covers gems like the Cleveland shot, dunk contests, all star snub, dream team, baseball, gambling, being a wizard, bobcats and the hall of fame speech. There are some amazing interviews laced throughout the book. Great read.
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The one to get
by PCA34 (5 out of 5 stars)
June 1, 2018

I really enjoyed this book. Definitely gave me a sense of MJ's psychology and how competitive he was. I grew up watching MJ but that was before the days of social media and people actually had privacy, so it was interesting to read about the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on in this book. If you're an MJ fan or just a hoops fan in general, do yourself a favor and get this book.
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Teachers should read this book!
by Sara (5 out of 5 stars)
October 5, 2018

There is a reason that we use the phrase in our culture "The Michael Jordan of..." and then we add the category. This is a great resource to understand the modern hero of our time, complete with a look at his warts and all. By examining his course to excellence that included wise coaches, supportive parents, his share of family difficulties, his triumphs over racism and just the ever-blessed beauty to behold when talent, opportunity, and good old fashioned working harder than anyone else in the room blend together into a life of genius we can pass on the wisdom of the patterns of excellence to the youth of tomorrow.
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Wow! Loved this book.
by Preston Pysh (5 out of 5 stars)
September 19, 2017

I absolutely loved this book. If you're looking for a book that will give you motivation and drive to beat the competition, look no further. Roland is an extremely gifted writer and keeps you engaged from the begin to end.
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If you are interested the the detailed back story of MJ's lineage then you might like it. It did not
by Zman (3 out of 5 stars)
January 2, 2017

Have to admit I struggled getting very far with this book. If you are interested the the detailed back story of MJ's lineage then you might like it. It did not interest me that much.
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Just ok
by Amazon Customer (3 out of 5 stars)
August 9, 2018

I enjoy the background information on Michael Jordan's family but as the book progressed I got tired of hearing how awesome Michael Jordan was. If you're a Michael Jordan fan and like hearing how awesome he is every other paragraph, this is probably your boat. Otherwise it is just an okay book.

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