How Can We Learn The Art Of Storytelling from Michael Jordan?
Yes, I am still milking content off The Last Dance, because it is that amazing. I’ve written about the art of storytelling and importance of a narrative here, here and here, but this story from Michael Jordan will surely stick harder than the Grammarly YouTube ads. Here is the story. One night late in the ’92-’93 season, Bulls were against the Washington Bullets in Chicago. LaBradford Smith, a role player who spent only three seasons in the NBA had a coming-out party with 37 points in that game against MJ. It appeared that Smith couldn’t miss that night in contrast to Jordan struggling with basic shots. Even though the Bulls still won the game with a score of 104–99, MJ wasn’t pleased with the fact that he allowed an unknown player such as Smith to drop so many points on him.
After the game, Smith approached MJ and said, “Nice game, Mike.”
By now, we all have a clear understanding that MJ doesn’t need much to get motivated for a game. As long as there is a single moment of disrespect shown to him, he will leverage to the ends of it. In response to Smith’s taunt, Jordan told his teammates that he planned to match Smith’s 37 points in only the first half of their battle next. Sure enough, he came up with just one point short, with 36 first-half points. As anticipated by the masses, Smith scored 15 points in vain and the Bulls won by 25. There is just one issue. Smith did not sardonically say, “Nice game, Mike” to MJ after the first game. It was merely a self-created ruse to motivate himself for the next game.
Essentially, Michael Jordan made the whole story up.
This story between MJ and Smith, or should I say a story purely about MJ, encapsulates the art of storytelling and the importance of a narrative. Leap year isn’t a thing, unless we want it to be. Calendars are artificial enough to serve the purpose of a basic timeline that all of us can adhere to. The reality is that the cadence of our days is up to us, more than we often want to admit. We know for a fact that weekdays and weekends consist of the same 24 hours with a shift in storytelling that one differs from the other. It isn’t a multiple-choice question. Instead, it is fill-in-the-blanks. The crux is understanding that we decide what the blanks are and we get to write our own, anytime we choose to. We tell ourselves a story we want to create and follow, and this means that the banana may not be a threat to the bicycle unless we want it to.
Whether it is Demon Slayer or One Piece anime, the little plastic action figurines do not move at all.
These totems in our lives, be it a painting, a song or a bodily-shaped cloth stuffed with premium wool, don’t actually do much on their own. Books don’t read themselves, much less to say a basketball. However, they can play a big role in our lives when we give it meaning and significance. They can represent something to us, from what is possible to what represents trust. Once, MJ’s fitness coach laced MJ’s shoes for him before a game and MJ refused to wear them. MJ always laced his own shoes before a game. Reason being, the experience of him lacing his own shoes before a game meant something to him. The experience represented a moment of appreciation which put him in a state of mind that felt good before a game. It was part of getting and staying in the zone. Storytelling in various ways, shapes and forms trigger us to be in the right state of mind.
These totems invite generous actions as they are souvenirs of our best self.
Emotional enrollment of a story takes us deep within. It is the very premise of the boogie-man. What makes the boogie-man the perfect creator of fear, especially to young kiddos, is the belief that he exists. It is the most essential quality of the boogie-man. If we believe that he, an enemy with no defects, exists, then we are bound to be terror-stricken. It is the equivalent of the classic asian tale — “Yah, you go lah you go. You go out late at night, later ah-pu-neh-neh catch you ah!” I don’t know what is worse: (1) the racist undertone or (2) the level of confidence in undermining the child. Either way, till this day, I still believe that soft toys come to life and protect me when I sleep. How about you, what is your narrative?
