Quote of the Day by Michael Jordan: ‘If you do the work, you get rewarded…’

Michael Jeffrey Jordan, legendary basketball player, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 17, 1963. Considered one of the greatest basketball players, Jordan won six NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals during his illustrious career. He was the fourth of five children born to James and Deloris. James Jordan was a mechanic, and Deloris Jordan was a bank teller. Soon after Michael's birth, James and Deloris moved the family to Wilmington, North Carolina. Jordan won six titles with the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan developed his interest in sports at a very young age, starting with baseball. Before drifting towards basketball, he used to play catch in the yard with his father, who loved baseball. Jordan idolized his older brother Larry while growing up. Inspired by him, he went on to play basketball and never looked back.

At Laney High School, as a sophomore, he decided to try out for the varsity team but was cut because he was raw and undersized. The following summer, he grew four inches and toiled hard. All his hard work paid rich dividends as he averaged 25 points per game in his last two years and was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team as a senior.


After high school, he bagged a basketball scholarship from North Carolina University, where he played under legendary coach Dean Smith. He started tasting success soon. He was named ACC Freshman of the Year in his first year.

Michael Jordan Quote of the day: “If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life.” The quote is widely attributed to the basketball legend.

Meaning of the quote: The quote from Jordan emphasizes the importance of hard work and honesty, and how it is directly linked to reward. Genuine and lasting success only comes through consistent effort and dedication. There are no easy ways to reach the top, and shortcuts get you nowhere. Trying out easy ways to achieve success often leads to failure because you haven't built the necessary skills and resilience.


Also Read: Quote of the Day by Rob Reiner

Michael Jordan’s first NBA draft

Jordan decided to leave North Carolina to enter the NBA draft. Although he decided to leave college early, he later returned to the university in 1986 to complete his degree in geography.

In the 1984 NBA draft, he was selected with the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls. As a rookie for the Bulls, he made an immediate impact, averaging an amazing 28.2 points a game, including six games where he scored 40+ points. He was selected for the NBA All-Star Game and named Rookie of the Year.

Later, as he grew from strength to strength, he went on to win five regular season MVP awards, six NBA championships, six NBA finals MVP awards, three All-Star game MVP awards, and a defensive player of the year award.

Things took an ugly turn for the legend in 1993 when a tragedy struck. According to IMDb, on July 23, 1993, his father, James, was murdered off Interstate 95 in North Carolina. Two locals had robbed him, shot him in the chest and threw his body in a swamp. Three months later on October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement from basketball citing that "he no longer had the desire to play."