Expert: Borko Bariæ - 6/10/2005

Question
Dear Mr.Bariae,

I have a question as you know?Can you give me any knowledge of being just like michael jordan?I know that's hard to ask , because you are not Michael Jordan , but you have been on earth longer than I have and you seen Michael Jordan in the 80's.I was born on feb 10, 1990, so I really saw him play in 1996 when he played Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA Finals. So you know when he was explosive going to the basket.If you could, please give me some information on the best then your see me become the best with your help.

Answer
Phew, this is as tough as it gets.
Well, I do know that, in his early days, Michael Jordan wasn't really that much of a shooter, he mostly relied on his unbelievable athleticism to penetrate to the basket. His strength was phenomenal and his jumping ability was (then) unheard-of. In that aspect, probably his closest image today would be Dwyane Wade. However, Jordan was also a superb defensive player, leading the league in steals on one occasion. He was incredibly versatile, able to dominate the game on both ends of the court.
After his first retirement in 1993, he returned some 20 months later with his explosivenes visibly diminished. Nevertheless, he was able to adapt superbly, further developing a deadly fadeaway jumpshot, and remaining as deadly as ever.
He was also know as probably the hardest worker of all his peers. He was always in superhuman shape, which was probably one of the main reasons why he remained injury-free for most of his career. However, as I said a few time before, the characteristic that most separated him from any player in history was his unbelievable competitiveness. He was an incredible fighter, willing his teams to victory on many occasions and never backing down from a challenge.

As for *being* like Michael Jordan, I'm affraid I don't have a recipe. One good start might be his personal trainer, Tim Grover, who has written numerous manuals for athletes. So, maybe one can begin by keeping himself in shape, just like Mike.