The G.O.A.T Rules

The Jordan Rules
By Sam Smith

Book Review,
By, Ethan Morales

2/9/17



Picture the scene, the greatest basketball player to ever live winning numerous titles against all odds from around the world... Well Michael Jordan did that.

The 1991 NBA playoffs were the final step in the coronation of King Michael of Chicago. By winning his first title, His Airness put to  rest all the complaints about him:  that he was too selfish; that unlike  Magic Johnson or Larry bird he didn't make the players around him better; that his greatness was all directed at his own glory. By winning his ring,  Michael Jordan proved for all time that those complaints were unkind and untrue. But are they?

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to all basketball players and sports players as it is an inspirational journey. It's about a player who had to fight through all the hate and "not good enough" mentalities from people all around him. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who don't know what basketball is or the rules because basically you wouldn't understand.

The fight that Michael Jordan had to go through in this book is the real reason why this book spoke to me because it's so inspirational and gritty to be able to do what you do best without thinking about
what others have to say. To never give up is a theme that revolves around this book and is a reason why my opinion is what it is. Michael Jordan never gave in to the hate, complaints, and the unsportsmanlike attitudes of people around him, that is the true definition of grit to just do what you do best and do not give up. It's kind of hard to connect to his Airness, but the way his composure to play the game really connected to me, "He was the star who couldn't win, they had said all these years, and now not only had his team won, but he had too in the biggest way, the way he had always dreamed it would be." (11). To be self-composed is indefinitely the only way you can really be able to succeed in anything you do. The language of the people who doubted him and the hate they had for him really moved me because it hurts deep down to try so hard and end up winning it all being the best for your city and the people of that city are against you even though you brought your city a title, "And Jordan had done it against the arch rival Magic Johnson, who had been held up by basketball pursuits as the exemplar of all that Michael Jordan wasn't." (11). These are reasons why my opinion on this book is what it is.

Again I would only recommend this book to people who know what and how to play basketball and the rules of the game or basically the entire book wouldn't make sense. Also, to readers who watched Michael Jordan as a kid I would also recommend this book to you as it tells in detail the inside of a season with his Airness and his dream team the Chicago Bulls. And lastly, I would recommend this book to fans of Mike Lupica books or just sports books in general.