“Michael Jordan wanted to be different from everyone else”: Tim Grover breaks down the mental makeup of the GOAT during his NBA career

Tim Grover trained Michael Jordan for 15 years of his career, so he knows more about the Bulls legend’s work ethic than most people alive.

One of the biggest reasons why Michael Jordan maintained his excellent play so long as he did was his preparation. The Jumpman would leave no stone unturned in practice – in fact, he pioneered quite a few of them himself.

Jordan did a lot of things to keep his separation from the rest of the NBA, who were chasing his standards of excellence. Among these was hiring a redoubtable agent in David Falk and a personal trainer in Tim Grover.

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Tim began working with Jordan in 1988 after a month-long correspondence through letters. Grover later also worked with Kobe Bryant, which means he’s worked with the 2 most famously competitive NBA players of the past 40 years.

He does have a ton of insights about how both Jordan and Kobe approached the game, both mentally and physically.

Tim Grover wrote about the mentality of Michael Jordan in his book

One of the extracts from Tim’s book ‘Winning: The Unforgiving Race to Greatness’ speaks volumes about MJ’s psyche:

“Everyone wanted to be like Mike. Mike did not want to be like anyone else. Before every game, you’d see MJ alone, head down, chewing his gum, having a private conversation with himself.”

“He felt the same nerves you might feel before you’re about to face a challenge. But he never doubted that he would perform at his best. His strength and confidence came from his preparation.”

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You just knew Michael had so many tricks up his sleeve when he went into a game. He would play the mind games, he would bait opponents into fouling him and he’d get referees onto his side.

But he’d also be willing to take and make all those momentum-changing shots that often define games. He never hesitated from rising to the moment and the challenge, and this unshakable confidence comes from preparation.