“I want to be like Mike.” There is only one association with this phrase, the great Michael Jordan. Many adolescent teens, such as myself, strive to be like the legend. But unlike some young adults, I admire Jordan for a different reason. I don’t strive to be Michael because of the 32,292 career points, six NBA championships, or even the tremendous Nike Jordan craze. My inspiration comes from the perseverance he demonstrated in early life.

Michael Jordan wasn’t always the epitome of perfection. It’s important to note that he was cut from his high school basketball team. But instead of giving up on his dream, Michael spent countless hours practicing. The perseverance he demonstrated has helped me a lot in my life.

Growing up I was never the best at anything. All of my peers had no respect for me because I was overweight. When I was in seventh grade, I decided to play basketball. I thought this would be a way to find girls. But when I got to high school, I decided to play for myself and not because I wanted to be cool. Through playing I found my deep passion for the game Michael Jordan made famous.

The day before my first high school practice, I broke my leg and had to miss my whole season. I was ready to give up on basketball until I saw a documentary on Michael Jordan. The show mentioned how he was cut from his basketball team, and an egg cracked in my head. “Wow! He never gave up. The greatest player ever was not good enough for his team!” This is the moment in my life where I knew I had to make a change.

The next day I decided to start running. In addition to my new found lust for cardio, I started to take a profound interest in weights and healthy living. Over the summer I lost close to 70 pounds. In addition, I spent numerous hours in the gym working on my game. Coming into the school year, I had confidence and started talking to people I thought I would never talk to. On November 2nd, 2008, I attended my first high school practice with confidence, and my hard work paid off with a spot on the basketball team.

All the experiences I have had over the past two years I owe to Michael Jordan. I know that coming from a small school means I have little to no chance to be discovered for basketball (plus the fact that I am not a soaring giant) , but the perseverance I learned from Michael Jordan will stay religious to me in whatever I do. Michael once said that, “I've always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come. I don't do things half-heartedly, because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results.”