Michael Jordan's 10 Secrets To Reaching the Top | Hacker News Reader

Michael Jordan's 10 Secrets To Reaching the Top

dumblittleman.com

34 pointsMystalic11 comments

I'm not big on flagging stuff, but inspirational messages from celebrities seems the exact opposite of hacker news.

And I don't think you can argue that MJ has demonstrated his ability to succeed in realms other than basketball. Well, he seems to be big on gambling.

The other MJ in that picture might actually be more inspirational, what with the HIV and all, and seemingly still having a successful career after basketball.

I think this article is more about the general concept of genius than about MJ in particular. That makes it interesting, not only inspirational in my opinion.

Actually that's my point. It's PR fluff, and platitudes, and nothing resembling genius. It's even a top ten list.

If going from not making the high school team to the greatest ball player in the world isn't enough, he built one of the most powerful brands in the world. Jordan ( shoes, clothes, movies, endorsments ) brings in more revenue than 10 facebooks could ever hope to. No other sports star or celebrity has ever come close to marketing himself as well as Jordan.

Please. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Knight

Anyway I'm gonna post Oprah's secrets to success and see how that goes over.

Let's not forget Phil's partner and coach either - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bowerman

He fits my idea of the athlete/hacker a lot more than Jordan does.

But is that his doing, or the doing of the Nike marketing department? As I recall, Jordan was the first sportsman to be hyper-marketed in the way he was.

Anyone who really understands the game can tell it's fluff as soon as they realize that the real greatest basketball player that ever lived is the other MJ in that picture.

#3 was written by a copywriter for a Nike TV spot.

The majority of Michael's teammates hated his guts, he was a huge asshole. However the rings speak for themselves.

Maybe the lesson is be an asshole but make sure you can back it up.

Some classic MJ trash-talking: http://www.prosportsdaily.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200152

"I hope there's a jumpshot in there." - Michael to Stacey King who was walking into the locker room with a box

The guy was not just a hard-worker, but an obssessed worker who would stop at nothing to ensure success was the only outcome.

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