Michael Jordan claimed that he never actually had a problem with finding a good amount of sleep but understood the expectations that were placed on him.
It feels as though, the more legendary a player in the NBA gets, the more drastic the stories about their work behind closed doors get. No one in NBA history was more legendary than Michael Jordan. The ‘Ghost of Chicago’ had a storybook ending to his Chicago Bulls career and overall, put the league on lock throughout the 90s by winning 6 titles.
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When talking about Michael Jordan and his work ethic, it’s well documented how hard he worked in order to stay in shape and get in shape. To battle the physicality that the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons threw at him, he vowed to put on a few more pounds of muscle; and he did. This is only a singular example of how much Jordan wanted win in the face of adversity.
However, lengthy training hours also means giving your body time to rest. Surprisingly, ‘His Airness’ admits that he never really had a problem with this.
Michael Jordan had a good night’s rest each night, according to the man himself.
The pressure of being ‘the guy’ for your team, having the entirety of a city on your back, living up to the contract that you’ve signed; these are all factors that may be deemed to be too stressful for many athletes in the NBA or any sport for that matter. During an interview with SLAM in 1997, Michael Jordan addressed these fears faced by players.
“I have an understanding of what expectations I can meet. By no means can you live up to the fans’ expectations of what you’re supposed to achieve. It’s challenging being the man. It’s part of the expectations.”
“I go to sleep, and I sleep well at night. And, well, yeah, I think about what my responsibilities are but I never shy away from them. I accept them and go out and do the best I can. That’s all I can ever do.”
Unlike Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan seemed to have been getting his beauty sleep during his playing career. Kobe, as many NBA fans know, was known to sleep 4 hours a night, with 5-6 hours being considered a miracle. LeBron James on the other hand, claims to need at least 8-10 hours of sleep to properly train and function.
