“On a Playground, All by Yourself”: Michael Jordan Once Explained What Going Into ‘The Zone’ Felt Like to Him

Athletes around the world often talk about ‘The Zone’, a psychological plane where an athlete’s mind goes during high-pressure situations. This psychological plane allows the player to focus completely on the game to maximize his output. Michael Jordan also experienced something similar during his playing days.

Over the years, we’ve seen many performances in the NBA where a player is said to have been in ‘The Zone’.

Michael Jordan’s 69-point game against the Cavaliers in 1990, Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point outburst against the Raptors in 2006, and LeBron James’ 45-point Game 6 showing against the Celtics in 2012, are all noteworthy examples of ‘The Zone’.

Jordan once expanded on his interpretation of ‘The Zone’ in an interview with Playboy in 1992.

“I feel it [the zone] when the game starts. You just start getting on a roll. Everything that you do is working. You get steals, your offensive game is working. You just take control of it,” MJ said. 

“You’re in tune with everything that’s going on. You control the tempo, you control everything. It’s like you can do anything, you can take your time, you say anything to people, you seem to be just like you’re on a playground all by yourself,” he added.

The interviewer seemed to think that Jordan knew he’d have a good game in the locker room. But the Bulls star politely corrected him. He went on to explain how he’d only know he was going to have a high-scoring game once his shots started falling.

Everything would start to happen at once, and Jordan would feel in tune with his surroundings. He even compared being in ‘the zone’ to playing alone in a playground all by himself.

After hearing that, the interviewer asked if Jordan could induce this feeling within himself whenever required. To that, His Airness responded,

“I get into it in pressure situations. Somehow you feel the pressure. Either you do it now or you don’t do it at all and it starts to kick in. But to explain it you’d have to be a psychologist.”

Jordan’s initial definition seemed to suggest that he was just referring to his shooting rhythm. Most stars know they can have high scoring games when their shots start to fall early on.

On the other hand, they realize they are gonna have a long night when their shots don’t fall.

However, Jordan’s ‘Zone’ seemed to be triggered by pressure situations. This explains why the Bulls legend was so clutch in crucial moments and ended his career with a spotless record in the NBA Finals.