Michael Jordan.

Jerry Rice. 

The names are enough to tell you that this is the stuff of legends. Both of these miraculous players changed the perception of what an athlete’s life looks like. And did all that while playing in two of the biggest American sports leagues. 

Both of them entered the sports arena around the same time. Both of them were individually successful right out the gate. But it was not just their physicality and athleticism that they brought to the game. The Bull’s legendary shooting guard and the 49ers’ dashing wideout brought their work ethic, discipline, and mental strength to the game. 

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The two paved the way for other athletes to understand what it takes to compete at the highest level for a good part of their life. The two changed the way a young athlete looks at a ‘sports career.’ 

Michael Jordan saw similarities between the two greats

During a TNT tribute video in 2003, Michael Jordan was giving his take on the similarities between the two greats. The interviewer asks, “I look at yourself and Jerry Rice, have you guys extended the life expectancy of an athlete?” 

His Airness replied, “Yes, I think we have. I think there’s some truth to that.”

“I think two things have to come into place. You have true love for what you’re doing and you have to be very lucky in terms of health. If you have both of them then you can extend. You can play as long as you want. Coz you gotta put forth effort. You know… I mean, you look at Jerry, Jerry’s a great friend and I think our careers parallel a lot. He’s a couple of years older than me, I remind him of that. (chuckles)

But his desire to be the best at what he does keeps him pushing not just in the season but during the off-season to physically prepare himself for the season and mentally finding ways to challenge himself or listen to the naysayers for motivation. And staying healthy. If you can do that then, yeah you can extend the longevity of someone’s career.

But if you take it for granted, you can’t. I don’t think either one of us takes what we have done and what we love for granted.”

Indeed, the superstars stood at the pinnacle of their respective sports, and still wanted to extract more out of themselves. Their grit, determination, and consistency, inspired many whether they know them or not. And the legacy of these sporting giants will live on for a long, long time to come. 

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