MANY WAYS TO THE TOP

I stumbled upon this TikTok clip today about Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. In the clip, former Chicago Bulls teammates described their experience playing with both players and how it contributed to their success. I found it quite insightful, so I'm writing this post to share my thoughts on some of the talking points in that documentary.

Most of Jordan's teammates spoke negatively about his personality and attitude on and off the court. One of them called him a jerk because he was willing to say or do anything to win. Jordan himself also confirmed this in the documentary. Despite his attitude, Jordan was the greatest player of his time, and he motivated his teammates to be their very best, leading to their success and championship wins because of his special touch.

However, the Chicago Bulls did enjoy a winning streak without Jordan for some time. They found a way to play that was not solely tied to Jordan’s individual brilliance, but rather a function of their collective contribution, with Scottie Pippen playing an instrumental role in making this work.

Unlike Jordan, who was brash, Pippen had better man-management skills. He interacted with his teammates much better, and they loved him for it. He took on a more collective approach on the court, which influenced how the Chicago Bulls played. They went on to win trophies even without Jordan, who was the star player at that time.

Jordan went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history and built a brand that outlived his professional career. Pippen did not achieve that level of success. If you're not a basketball enthusiast, you probably wouldn't have known who Pippen was, but does that even matter?

My major takeaway from that clip/documentary is that there are many ways to win, and as with most things, the process is more important than anything else. Some people grind so hard to get to the top and discover they don't like it there. They could have taken someone along or made the journey more enjoyable, but instead, they chose the solo route or made many unnecessary enemies in the process.

I usually tell my wife that in the end, all we'll have are memories, so it's important that we make a lot of good ones. Most people only look back at pain and struggle and how they conquered all that to become the beautiful and amazing people they are today, but it could be more. There could be laughter, joy, and excitement. These are the sort of memories I want to make in the latter parts of my life.

Returning to the Jordan story, he turned out to be one of the best basketball players of all time, with a well-decorated career that is the envy of most professional basketball players today. He came from nothing to become a basketball icon. He won at the game he loved, but could he have achieved all that without being a jerk? Did his teammates have fun and endearing memories of him? Does that even matter?

I understand that for most successful people, a certain level of commitment and sometimes ruthlessness is needed to be the best, but that's not the case for everyone. Success is relative, and I hope to achieve the things I want while still being a decent human being and debunk this narrative that top is reserved for the worst kinds of people (with passion and drive).