Michael Jordan‘s trainer Tim Grover helped sculpt one of the greats of basketball. Being Jordan’s trainer, Grover had earned a reputation in the basketball community as a champion builder. In his book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Grover revealed how MJ had once hilariously threatened to shoot him after the intense toil the latter had put him through for almost 15 years.
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Back in the day, Tim Grover was ready to work with anyone on the Bulls team except Michael Jordan. Fortunate or unfortunately, Grover ended up with Jordan himself being assigned his trainer in 1988. Their relationship started on a 30-day transition promise, which expanded and lasted for almost 15 years.
After working with Jordan for 15 years, Grover and MJ’s relationship ended on a bitter-sweet note. In fact, Jordan threatened to shoot Grover if he ever saw him around in his neighborhood. It’s pretty evident that Jordan didn’t enjoy the bitter medicine Grover had in store to improve the Bulls star as a player, even though it was necessary for his success.
In his book, Grover puts this perspective into a better light, understood from the excerpt below.
“It’s right, I told him: ‘I’ll give you a thirty-day schedule detailing exactly what we’re going to do, how it’s going to affect your body, your game, your overall strength. I’ll tell you how you’re going to feel so you can adjust to the changes we’re going to make. We’ll plan what you’ll eat, when you’ll eat it, when you’ll sleep. We’ll look at every detail, leaving nothing to chance. You’ll see how everything works together.’ He gave me thirty days. I stayed for fifteen years. When he finally retired, he said, ‘If I ever see you in my neighborhood again, I’m going to shoot you.'”
Under Tim Grover’s training and guidance, Jordan became the physical specimen of an athlete he was renowned for. Grover helped him overcome the Detroit Pistons ‘Bad Boys’ and propel the Bulls toward heights of success.
Tim Grover used emotional intelligence to turn Jordan into the GOAT
Tim Grover’s training helped Michael Jordan and the Bulls win six rings. Grover always believed in Jordan’s potential to be the greatest player ever. However, as Grover puts it, he just helped Jordan retain that position for a little longer.
Besides training players to transform their bodies, Grover taught Jordan and his other clients to sharpen their minds and regulate their emotions. To do this, Grover helped them understand the principles of emotional intelligence and the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions.
