Michael Jordan book cover

Michael Jordan by Roland Lazenby Summary

Michael Jordan
Roland Lazenby
4.31 (8197 Reviews)
Biography
Inspiration
History
Overview
Key Takeaways
Author
FAQs

Overview of Michael Jordan

The definitive Jordan biography that unveils the man behind the legend. Praised by NBA executives as "Pulitzer-worthy," Lazenby's masterpiece reveals the psychological forces driving basketball's greatest icon. What dark competitive fires fueled the marketing phenomenon who transformed global sports forever?

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Key takeaways

1

The Making of a Legend: When a River Rat's Great-Grandson Became God in Sneakers

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Picture a crippled man with a bad leg navigating treacherous log rafts down North Carolina's Cape Fear River in the early 1900s. Dawson Jordan was short, stocky, and fearless-finding his only peace on those dangerous waters. Fast-forward sixty years, and his great-grandson would find similar sanctuary on basketball courts, transforming that inherited resilience into something the world had never seen. Michael Jordan didn't just play basketball; he became the standard by which all human excellence is measured. When Barack Obama handed him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he captured it perfectly: "There is a reason you call someone 'the Michael Jordan of' something." But how does a boy from Wilmington, North Carolina become the measuring stick for greatness itself? The answer lies in generations of survival, family secrets, and a competitive fire so intense it could melt steel.

2

Blood, Sweat, and Shadows: The Family That Built a Fighter

3

The Furnace: How Rejection Forged an Unstoppable Force

4

From Country Boy to Carolina Legend: The Transformation Begins

5

The Revolution: How a Banned Shoe Changed Everything

6

The Price of Immortality: When Fame Becomes a Prison

7

The Unraveling: When Tragedy Meets Triumph

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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254
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17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

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