For the Love of the Game: My Story

by Michael Jordan

Pictorial autobiography of Michael Jordan.

Featuring more than 200 photographs by some of the world's greatest photographers, and text provided by Jordan himself, this book captures the depth and breadth of the greatest career in professional sports. From the 1984 Olympics to his last game in a Chicago Bulls' uniform, Jordan pulls back the curtain on a wondrous performance.


(taken from alibris.com)

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Basketball, Autobiography, Memoir, Biography Memoir

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and will be inducted in September 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam. He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.

Reviews

[Aiman Adlawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Micheal Jordan is one of the sports icons that I truly admire. This book tells all about his ups and downs in the sports that he really love so much. It is so inspiring how he is so motivated to win at all costs. Most of the old people around me like my uncles and grandpas used to tell me that Micheal is a gifted person. But when you read this book you will understand Micheal really has an unequalled desire to win than any other men in the world. That has what made him Great. Very inspiring story.

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

'For the Love of the Game' was that special clause that Michael Jordan had demanded to be included in his contracts and allowing him to play basketball in-between NBA seasons. This was indeed forbidden to players back then, for fear that they would injure themselves and, so, badly impact their teams when back on the courts. It's a clause, above all, that says a lot about Jordan himself, he 'who played with the heart of a warrior and the grace of an artist'.

'For the Love of the Game' is, also, a fitting title to this picture album, where each photograph relates to a key moment of his career and is illustrated by MJ's captions himself.

We follow his basketball path, from his career while in College (North Carolina) to the 1984 draft, and from the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona (when he captained the first 'Dream Team') to, obviously, his 6 championship rings. Yet, it's not only his career as an athlete that we are given to see here, but, also, his family, Nike's advertising campaigns, the movie 'Space Jam'... The whole Jordan stuff!

The pictures are absolutely beautiful, although we can regret that there are far too few! Comments by Jordan himself are, especially, insightful. He talks about his heroes (Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird), his mindset (thriving on challenges and highly competitive), his doubts, his view of the game, his teammates and opponents, Phil Jackson's coaching, the influence of his family, the massive impact left by his father's death... In a few words, surprisingly humbly, Air Jordan reveals himself.

Now, of course, it's too short for sure, and most of what features here has been seen and heard elsewhere! Nevertheless, if you're a fan, well, it's a must have.

[Jeffrey Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very similar book to Kobe’s “The Mamba Mentality.” I enjoyed reading about his processes in going through all of the different championships. The flu game process was an interesting read where even more was going on and he was basically chugging coffee just to survive.

He brings in great leadership advice for someone going into administration, as he had different ways of playing and mending with everyone. Also brings in great points about why the right coaches and mentors matter to someone’s success. It shows why someone might want to change positions when they are no longer under the right organizational leadership.

[GoldGato · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no question of Mr. Jordan being one of, if not THE, greatest basketball players of all time. However, what made MJ23 so different was how he changed culture. He brought the world long shorts, athletic shoe obsessions, earrings on men, and bald-as-cool. He transcended the sport. This is one of the Michael Jordan coffee-table books (photos, magazine layouts) which will always look good because even though the 1990s are long gone, his portion of that decade still seems relevant. Lots of pics, not too many words, and His Airness just relating his go-getterness make this a perfect book for any fan.

Book Season = Autumn (when the games begin)

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

He spent a little more time setting the record straight and criticizing "enemies" than I think a champion should. That disappointed me. His story and talent are still amazing.

[Cameron Sadowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Love of the Game: My Story deserves a 4 star review because Michael Jordan is an idol of mine and someone I have looked up to in my life. The book talks about his life and the troubles that he overcame. It is very inspirational to me how motivated MJ was to win at any cost. You can really understand how special of a person he is.
I felt that it does not deserve a full 5 star rating because it was lacking pictures that helped give the reader an image of the real situations he faced in his life. But other than that, I was fully satisfied with the story. He inspired thousands of people to overcome their own challenges in order to succeed in life. His flue game was really interesting to hear about because it shows how no matter the situation, he was determined to win.
My favorite quote is "Failure is acceptable. but not trying is a whole different ballpark." This has a deep meaning to me because it is saying its better to try and fail rather than to not try at all. Inspires me to play my best no matter how good the other competition is. As long as I give it my best.This quote stood out over all the others because it was most inspiring to me to give it my best no matter the difficulties or competition.
To summarize the book, it talks about Michael Jordan and his childhood all the way through college and NBA basketball. It talked about some of the struggles he had to overcome in order to win. Such as his famous flue game in the finals against the Utah Jazz. MJ was able to win 6 rings with the Chicago Bulls with the help of some team mates such as Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen. The book also shares how the owners wanted to bench him in order to get a better draft pick in the following year.

[Jaret Brown]

The book that I read was For the Love of the Game: My Story by Micheal Jordan himself. This story is told by one of the greatest of all-time and how he became a legend. He begins the story with how he started his professional career. He reflected on his college career and what he went through while he was at North Carolina. He explains how all the attention he was getting from reporters did not change his play style. This is a story that truly shows a Great in the making.

This book may be the best book I have ever read. I feel that since I have been involved in many sports I can relate to how he was feeling throughout his career. I was also able to understand the plot lines very easily because it was different parts of his career. I also watched the documentary “The Last Dance” which talked about the Bulls championship franchise. Since I watched that as well I was able to make connections between things that he talked about and things that he didn’t. I really enjoyed hearing Micheal Jordan’s view of his career and comparing it to people that analysed his career. There was a lot of drama with those championship teams and to hear what the best player had to say was very interesting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves basketball or any sport, but I also believe that anyone would enjoy this book. I feel that if you have ever played basketball you would learn a lot about how to play your way, but knowing when it is time to make the team better rather than just yourself. This book has been one of my favourite books I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone.

[Kevin Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dude was my hero growing up and I've had this book for awhile. I found it among a box of many other books I have put away and realized I hadn't read it. He jumps around a lot with the dates and seems like a train of thought kind of writing style. There were a lot of details with more of the business side of that era like how the owners wanted to bench him to keep the team losing for a higher spot in next year's pick. Some really good advice in it too and I could definitely hear his voice as I was reading it. Overall a good book for some detail and inspiring! You can apply his methods to anything and reading this is a good reminder to always remember your fundamentals and maybe try some other things to better yourself in whatever you do.

[Mr Amosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has something for the casual fan and the aficionado alike. Jordan was the first true international athlete, this book goes behind a layer of the image and gives the reader a glimpse into the man himself and his drive to win. If you are a fan of sports autobiographies the try Mike Tyson's 'Undisputed Truth' Underlying 'For the love of the game' is MJ's need to protect his brand whereas Tyson's brutally honest confession of a memoir comes off as a more authentic story.

[Nathan M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this at a Goodwill for a quarter. Picture heavy, fast read, with nothing that hasn't already been covered elsewhere in interviews/books/TV etc. Only difference here is that it's all coming from Jordan himself. I think by reading this I've now read every book about MJ there is and I'm fine with admitting the truth that I've known all along anyway: he is truly the greatest of all time.

[Craig LeVasseur · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting revisit in light of The Last Dance. Every two pages is essentially a new topic, so it covers a lot of stuff, but never too deeply. It definitely touches on some topics, however, that are covered more deeply in the documentary. I will be curious to read Kobe's book and see how much this book influenced it.

[Bryce Hall]

This book covers the life of Michael Jordan and his legacy on the basketball court. It covers his life from high school, his college career when he played for North Carolina, and the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. Then it goes over the murder of his father which was very hard for Michael to deal with.

[Gökhan Bozkurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is mainly a photobook rather than story-book.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

MJ. The best at being in the present moment

[Jalen]

I thought it was good until the end were he talks about his dad dying.

[Ren]

adad

[Wayne Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good look into the life of the greatest basketball player in history. Tells a story beyond basketball, while also accentuating his greatness on the court.

[Isaac Smoak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best writer in the business!

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was drawn to this book because i am a great Michael Jordan fan and i wondered if he could write well and also be an amazing athlete.
the category i put this novel in was that its a non-fiction book because everything and experience in this book is true because it tells you all the ups and downs Michael Jordan did to be successful but he would love the game win or lose.
the most important thing i liked about this book was that it helped me understand that even when you fail at something you keep trying until you succeed at it but while you fail you should always love the game for what it is not for what you want it to be. another thing i liked about this booked was that Michael Jordan became more of an inspiration to me because he wrote about all his experiences in detail and that helped me learn from things that i may come up against and will help me alot in the future for my own sporting career.
i didnt dislike anything in this book because there were so many things that related to me on how he loves a sport so much and how he wanted to be successful at it and it gave me more and more ideas on how i can keep loving the game i love.
i would recommend this to sporting players or people that have failed or struggled because this book tells the true experices in how anyone can fail, even Michael Jordan and how he still loved the game and his life and kept going and trying and so can anyone else.

[Joel Espinal · Rating 5 out of 5]

October 5th,2012
For The Love of The Game
Michael Jordan

In the book, For the Love of the Game, written by Michael Jordan, is about M.J. Michael Jordan always loved basketball for his entire life. He loved his surroundings and he loved the Chicago Bull's franchise. Michael Jordan talks about his life, his ups and downs, his NBA Career, teammates in the Chicago Bulls, his best rivalries, and also talks about his short period of his MLB career. A very momentous part of the book is the part that he talks with his father. His father meant a lot to Michael Jordan and was very sad to see him go. He gave him a lot of advice and things that would come up in the future. Michael Jordan never believed in the things that his father has told him but as he gets older, he realizes that the things that his father told him are actually becoming true. His rivalries. His rivalries were very important to Michael Jordan because he knew that they or his opponents already had something to make Michael Jordan from scoring and breaking down the defense. But the Chicago Bulls and Michael also had their ways to break down whatever the opponents have set up or planned for Michael Jordan

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summarizing the span of his career in his own words, Michael Jordan shared his story shortly after his second retirement from basketball. Filled with gorgeous full page photos that complement his narrative, this is a great read for a Jordan (or even a basketball) fan. If you followed basketball during his career then you may not find anything new here, but if you didn't then this is the best for capturing the highs and lows of his time on and off the court from his college days through the last Bulls championship won under Jordan's leadership. His work ethic is inspiring and his accomplishments worth celebrating; Jordan was a force to be reckoned with. I can remember just how amazing it was to watch him play, and re-reading his perspective on the games, the team, his challenges, and their triumphs brings that time back as clearly as if it were yesterday.

[Jeremy Mabingnay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gorgeous, oversized volume about His Airness gets the All-Star treatment with spectacular photographs, stats, and words of wisdom & inspiration from the man himself. Possessing enormous talent, athletic grace, and gravity-defying moves, Jordan took his air show to the arenas around the world and made the Bulls the hottest ticket. With a heart of a warrior and ferocious will to win, Jordan achieved greatness on the hardwood court and attained iconic status outside the world of sports. MJ 23. The best there was. The best there ever will be.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living and working in the Chicago area during the awesome Bulls' run caused me to become a solid fan. Although I was aware of most of the content of this book already, it was interesting to read MJ's voice in the 1st person. Basically a magazine article on steroids with all the photos and sidebars.

I only got one opportunity to see him play in person. It was the year they only lost two--count 'em, two--home games out of 41. But one was the game vs. Charlotte with me in the nosebleed section.

No one can touch his Airness.

Reading this was a great run thru memory lane.

[Corey Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. It was very detailed from his life on the court to his life off the court where he had to overcome many difficult obstacles. He had a very succesful basketball career which is why he is considered the best basketball player ever.

I would reccomend this book to anybody who enjoys basketball because that is a big part of this book. I would also reccomend it to anyone is is facing troubles in the life because it can be very inspirational. It also had severalpictures, something that everyone likes.

[Malik B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the greatest Michael Jordan biography I've ever read.
It provides his opinions and thoughts on everything he was going through and managed to sprinkle a little wisdom on each page you flipped past. Michael Jordan talks about everything, from Magic Johnson to his coach on the Chicago Bulls. If you're a fan of Michael Jordan's achievements in life, then I'd recommend you check out this book. Fan or not, he provides excellent outlooks on every single important game, moment, play and shot he has done or participated in. Making that a great read in return for any basketball fan.

[Courtney Skelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the Love of the Game fell short of my expectations. Although it had some points that I did enjoy reading about the behind the scenes moments of some of the greatest moments in sports by the greatest basketball player ever, it was mostly clouded with a whole lot of machismo talk in the first person. The word "I" appeared way too much, to the point it would have been better if this had been dictated to a ghost writer. The compliments seemed hollow to the point they were almost left-handed. This is for the hard core Michael Jordan fa, but no one else.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at the life of Michael Jordan through his own eyes. Not very in depth, and it doesn't cover much more than his thoughts about basketball, but it's a photo-heavy 100+ page book. Can't fit much more in a book that small.

Good for those who know very little or nothing about Jordan. Will be a complete disappointment for those who are huge fans or already know a lot about him.

Regardless, the photography is great, albeit small in some places.

[Kodee Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book For the Love of the Game by Michael Jordan was one of inspirational measures. The book outlined the aspect of never quiting, and it talked about what he had to do to become the man he is today. Michael Jordan talks about his fears, dreams, and his life experiences while playing the game of professional basketball. When i first read this book i was totally inspired to never give up, as Michael Jordan does.

[Dwight Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book to me because it showed what he went threw in his life to get to where he is now. All of the trials and tribulations he went threw with different people and threw out his life.He was a very powerful person because he overcame alot of stuff that he could've let get to him and handle it his self but he didn't and that made him a better father for his kids and a better husband for his wife.

[Raylyn Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading "For the Love of the Game". Michale Jordan has so much feeling in this book. I love how he opens the book with a dream. The type of tone in this book is warming. I love how in the book he talks about his life, family, and whole world before and after basketball. Michael Jordan talks about his plays, coaches, and teams. I really love how Michale Jordan writes aboutis feelings.