Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
Michael
Jordan is the man who was born on February 17,1963 who would win six NBA
Championships with the Chicago Bulls. He was born in Brooklyn, New York to
James and Deloris Jordan. He would be raised in Wilmington, North Carolina with
his two brother and two sisters. The family wouldn’t live too far from his
grandparents and their family’s beginnings in Teachey, North Carolina. Michael
would be cut from his high school’s varsity team as a sophomore, only to return
as a junior and dominate the team. He would go on to play for the North
Carolina Tar Heels bringing with him a NCAA Championship. After his third year
in college he would be drafted third in the NBA to play for the Chicago Bulls.
This is the story we know of Michael Jordan and his legend. Lazenby, in this
biography, reveals the aspects of Jordan’s life and character that many people
hadn’t known or understood.
Michael Jordan: The Life starts well
before Michael was ever brought into existence, with first introducing Dawson
Jordan, Michael’s great grandfather. By observing Dawson’s life and his
struggles, Lazenby set the tone for Michael’s young life and the challenges
that he would face within his family. Dawson was the first to persevere and
persist, characteristics that Michael would eventually inhabit. The biography
continues through all of the men leading to Michael Jordan. The knowledge
Lazenby’s provides about Jordan’s family would somewhat help in understanding
Jordan the child, the man and eventually the basketball player. A thorough look
at his parents and the dynamics within his immediate family would further our
knowledge of Michael’s competitive nature and the issues he developed with
trusting others. Throughout his years the traits he developed in his youth
would make him an amazing basketball player worthy of the accolades that were
bestowed upon him but other characteristics would leave many wondering exactly
what kind of man Jordan was.
This
was a very in depth biography of a man whose adult life continues to play in
the headlines. This book is well over 500 pages and full of information
regarding Michael Jordan from everyone’s opinion as a player, his gambling
habits, his issues with family member and his treatment of others. Let me
caveat this by saying I have never been a Michael Jordan fan. This biography
was actually a present for this year’s theme in order to provide me more knowledge
of this sports icon. After reading this I can say that I am still not a fan of
Michael Jordan, though I can as I always have, respect him and his abilities as
a player. This biography did a great job at revealing the motives behind many
of Michael’s decision regarding his career, like the three retirements, his
stint in baseball and his time as a Wizards owner. What I found most
interesting though, were how others around Jordan who had knowledge of his
habits would describe him. I can’t say it was an even split between those who
looked at him positively and those who had negative things to say. It was
interesting to read the different comments made by players that I am familiar
with regarding the legend that is Jordan. All in all I enjoyed this rather
informative biography. I give this 4 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend it to any basketball or Michael Jordan fan. It wasn’t a page
turner in my opinion but I was definitely fascinated by his story and enjoyed the biography.
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