Michael Jordan

"I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying [no hard work]. Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. (p. 20, 24)"

"I've reached the pinnacle of my career. I just feel that I don't have anything else to prove. When I lose the sense of motivation and the sense of 'to prove something' as a basketball player, it's time for me to move away from the game of basketball."

"I'm back for the second time."

"I've missed over 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."

"I'm retired 99.9%. Of course, there always is that .1%."

"There will be a player greater than me."

"Enjoy every minute of life. Never second-guess life."

"I set another goal … a reasonable, manageable goal that I could realistically achieve if I worked hard enough. I approached everything step by step."

"(In 1985, Jordan broke his foot and the management, namely Jerry Krause, wanted to limit his return for fear of worsening the injury - the idea was to play seven minutes in each half) The [Bulls] came up with this whole theory you can play seven minutes a game when I'm practicing two hours a day... I didn’t agree with that math. I wanted to play. I wanted to make the playoffs. [...] Jerry [Reinsdorf] said, "Let me ask if you had a headache and" - there was a 10 percent chance then I’d reinjure my ankle - "and you've got 10 tablets and one of them is coated with cyanide, would you take it?" I looked at him and said, "How bad is the headache?" Jerry looked at me and said, "I guess that's a good answer, you can go back and play.""

"[Jerry Krause] said organizations win championships. I said, "I didn't see organizations playing with the flu in Utah.""

"I was in Chicago in 1994 and at this time I had no thoughts of coming back and playing the game of basketball, Bryon Russell came over to me and said, "Why'd you quit? You know I could guard you." When I did come back in 1995 and we played Utah in '96, I'm at the center circle and Bryon Russell is standing next to me. I said, "You remember what you said in 1994 about, 'I think I can guard you, I can shut you down, I would love to play against you?' Well, you're about to get your chance.""

"I can remember a game, we were down with about 5 to 10 points, I go off about 25 points, we come back and win the game, we're walking off the floor. Tex (Winter) looks at me and says "There's no "I" in team!" I looked at Tex and say, "There's not, but there's an 'I' in win!""

"Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion"

"Can I still dunk... Are you stupid?"

"As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers. I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well."

"I was raised by parents who taught me to love and respect people regardless of their race or background, so I am saddened and frustrated by the divisive rhetoric and racial tensions that seem to be getting worse as of late. I know this country is better than that, and I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment AND that police officers – who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all – are respected and supported."

"If we all work together, we can foster greater understanding, positive change and create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our children, our families and our communities."

"Once Michael gets up there he says, "Well, maybe I’ll just hang up here in the air for a while, just sit back." Then all of a sudden, he says, "Well, maybe I’ll 360. No, I changed my mind. I’ll go up on the other side." He’s just incredible."

"I think he's God disguised as Michael Jordan."

"So, it's the Cavs 5, and Jordan 4."

"…Daugherty grabbed him, and Jordan put it in anyway - he is unbelievable."

"…he is so strong that he can shoot and score with people actually having their hands on the ball, as Ehlo did that time…"

"That play was “Give the ball to Michael and everyone else get the fuck out of the way.”"

"You don't hesitate with Michael, or you'll end up on some poster in a gift shop someplace."

"The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan's three-point explosion in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals against Portland is easily one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. As he made his sixth straight, he winked directly at Mike Fratello and me in the broadcast booth and held his palms up in a shrug, as if to say, “What can I do?”"

"Michael and I combined for 57 points."

"He didn't miss games. He played hurt, with pain, when he was sick. He came out and performed at an intense level. I don't think anybody ever went away disappointed after watching Michael."

"This is a day that I had hoped would never come. It has to be the toughest day in the history of the Chicago Bulls. It's a tough day for Chicago."

"Number 45 doesn't explode like Number 23 used to."

"To me, Jordan is the god of Basketball, and I think he will always be."

"Michael Jordan is sort of...the hip-hop version of Dr. J"