“Only stat sheet Michael Jordan wanted to see was his turnovers, missed free throws, and fouls”: Celebrity trainer Tim Grover reveals the success mantra of the Bulls legend

Nobody sees the game of basketball like the way Michael Jordan did. His being the most efficient and effective scorer was not some coincidence.

There were just 1.98 meters of the cloth that Michael Jordan was cut out off. That 6ft 6” guard came into the league in 1984 out of North Carolina and changed how the world would look at basketball forever.

What Magic Johnson and Larry Bird started in the 80s, Jordan took it to another level by giving his all to the game of basketball and becoming the best to ever do it. He won 6 NBA championships, 5 MVPs, 6 Finals MVPs, 10x scoring titles, 9x All-Defensive First Teams, and a DPOY and that’s just to show how versatile and dominant he was.

His Airness won several more accolades there are to win on the grandest basketball stages of all. To date, he has the highest scoring average for his 32,292 points in 15 regular season appearances for the Chicago Bulls (13) and Washington Wizards (2).

But what mattered to him the most were the turnovers he had, the free throws he missed, and the fouls he had because those were the things he wasn’t supposed to do.

Also read: “Michael Jordan dropped $350,000 on a bus and illegally drove it”: $2.1 billion worth legend bought a lavish bus while with the Birmingham Barons

Michael Jordan cared more about the missed shots, FTs, and turnovers than how much he scored or assisted

The great man’s logic was as simple as it gets. He wanted to do just the things a basketball player should do, and so he didn’t care about how many points he scored, assists he provided, boards he gathered, or the teammates he made better.

The 14x All-Star just cared about his misses, turnovers, and fouls, according to his personal trainer Tim Grover.

“‘Never bring me the stat sheet again. The only stat sheet I want to see is how many turnovers I had, how many free throws I missed, how many fouls I had.’ He goes, ‘I’m supposed to score points, I’m supposed to make my teammates better, I’m supposed to get assists, I’m supposed to rebound, I’m supposed to get to the free throw line, I’m supposed to play defense,’” told Grover.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 16, 2022

That shouldn’t be a surprise for the people who followed the Bulls legend’s career. But for the fans of this generation who are used to the analysis of a game on so much more advanced statistics and miss out on basic blunders that the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James and other MVPs of their favourite team consistently commit without any guilt, this is everything.

If you look at the top turnover list of all time, all the players there will be either the top-20 scorer or assist providers of the NBA. MJ is a top-5 scorer who averaged more than 30 a game, and he’s not even in the top 30 of that list. This shows you what made him such error-proof in those 6 Finals.

Also read: Billionaire Michael Jordan splashed $145,000 on a luxury only meant for the rich

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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