When people think of celebrities that can be called by only the first name of Michael, only a few people come to mind: Michael Jackson (of course) and basketball great, Michael Jordan. Michael is arguably one of the greatest to play the game of basketball and changed the way the game is played forever. Being a 6-time NBA champion, two-time NBA champion, business owner, and more. In his hey day, one of the most successful marketing campaigns was done by Gatorade with a jingle that went, "Like Mike, if I could be Like Mike."
The campaign was a huge success and they paid Michael Jordan $16 Million dollars for it, but earned them hundreds of millions in sold product.
Yet even with all of that, the now 53-year-old Michael Jordan wants the next generation of Jordans, his sons and daughters, to carve their own path and live their own life. Here's what "his airness" has to say:
On Life
“I want him to be his own person, you know?” Jordan said referring to his eldest son Jeffrey Jordan, in interview with TODAY co-host Matt Lauer. “I want him to enjoy his life, whatever he chooses to be that, you know? If you play basketball, you're a doctor, you're a lawyer, whatever, I'm gonna support you with the love and every effort, every inch of my body.”
“He wants to be a basketball player, but he wants to do it on his own terms, which is all cool for me,” the six-time NBA champion said. “The thing that we have tried to tell Jeff is that you set your own expectations. By no means in this world can you ever live up to someone else's expectations of who you are.”
He said he includes himself in that and shared that he let his sons discover basketball on their own and never forced the game on them. Only when they came to him asking for advice did he get involved.
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Both sons did try their hand at basketball at the collegiate level, but then opted out. Now, both Jeff and Marcus are doing well, by creating new business ventures under the brand Heir Jordan.
On Gambling
It was highly publicized that Michael was a professional gambling man. He'd gamble on sports games, from golf to tennis and a little bit in between. But his lesson is simple.
READ: Michael B. Jordan on Being The "Other" Michael Jordan Out There
“I want people to understand, gambling is not a bad thing if you do it within the framework of what it's meant to be, which is fun and entertaining,” Jordan confesses. “So my lesson is, don't ever go outside your means. Don't ever put yourself in a predicament where now you're gonna regret it.”
On Marriage
Michael Jordan and his wife didn’t shut the kids out of what was going on in their own lives, he said. “We have all different types of dialogues, even with all of us in the same room,” he said. “It’s fun that if we can relate, and we can yet stay on the same page even through a trying and negative time.”
Now Michael and his wife Yvette Prieto, are happily married with two beautiful twin girls, Victoria and Ysabel. The twins recently celebrated their second birthday on February 9th.
On Health
In his prime, Jordan was the picture of health having a lean, muscular and agile body. During the season, Jordan's diet and food choices were...
... based on how it affected his energy. According to Jordan's trainer, Tim Grover, Jordan wasn't a big eater during his professional playing days and only ate enough to feel satisfied without feeling too full. His goal was to eat often, five to six meals a day, to maintain blood sugar levels. The one concern for Jordan was weight loss due to his high metabolism.
Although Jordan was strong and agile during his playing days, his diet was not all that high in protein. In fact, to help promote energy levels, most of his calories came from carbs. The basketball player's diet contained 70 percent of calories from carbs, 20 percent from fat and 10 percent from protein. Carbs are the preferred energy source for athletes and should provide most of your calories, no matter what sport you play.
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Jordan's competitive nature still lives on in everything that he does, trying to be a better father, a better husband now and a better man. So maybe a little "Mike" wouldn't be so bad after all.
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