When I think of professional athletes that I consider a successful human being, few come to mind. Sure, many of them are talented - many are physical giants, but not “success giants” across the board. However, there is one that sticks out in my mind as an athlete, yes, but far more. Business acumen, media savvy, personal style and most definitely, a ‘baller’. It’s been a while since Michael Jordan has been in the spotlight, and it’s easy to forget that he was the best basketball player of all time.

Jordan has become so iconic that it somehow doesn’t effect our minds with the weight of it all - we’ve been inundated with fakers and posers claiming the words “the best” as if it honestly applied to them. That’s what I loved about this book. At least for basketball, I know what “the best” means. It means Michael. Jeffrey. Jordan.

Driven From Within details MJ’s life and career in an unusual and interesting way. The book doesn’t read like a usual biography (ie: it’s not boring). Written for the everyday man and not for the NBA statistician, I felt a genuine sense of fire and motivation inside myself when reading it. The book uses short blurbs and quotes from Michael and others close to him to flesh out the main themes in his life. When you finish the book’s 208 pages, it’s clear what MJ’s about and why he’s the best. You’ll know why he was an awesome clutch player, being able sink difficult shots under the most extreme pressure.

You might appropriately ask why, specifically, Jordan was the best. There are two reasons. First, he built his basketball game from the ground up by training harder, more constantly, more often, with more intelligence and more passion than anyone else. Second, that’s just who he was - who he was driven to be. Pushing to the brinks of his physical, emotional and psychological limits wasn’t something he had to fight himself to do. MJ gave a literal 100% at every practice, in every drill. When he played his heart out it, he was being authentic to who he was.

The book also shares a lot of information about Brand Jordan - the business entity of MJ which includes the Air Jordan shoes - and how commitment to core values has made them successful. Jordan has a strong sense of self, what he is and what he is not. With his business he tries to do the same thing, and so far, has been financially successful. Always pushing the envelope, but staying true to the core, I learned valuable lessons about the business concept of branding. Further more, if you read between the lines, there are volumes of teachings about inner game.

After reading the book, I started thinking of Jordan as success giant.