Michael Jordan reveals secret, liberating contract clause that had nothing to do with money
They would never agree to something like this today.
Michael Jordan on the NBA on NBC.
Michael Jordan, widely regarded as the greatest NBA player of all time, is notorious for his fierce competitive streak. He put on 15 pounds of muscle in the off-season with the specific goal of beating the bad boy Detroit Pistons. He played a game with the flu and put up 38 points. He was known to make his teammates stay after practice for shooting competitions, and his trash talk game was so potent that some say it ruined their careers.
This competitiveness stemmed from his incredible love and passion for the game. In a recent interview with the NBA on NBC, Jordan told Mike Tirico that his love for the game was so intense that he made sure he could play it whenever he wanted and put it in his contract. He attributes some of his monumental success to the time he spent on the court, improving his game rather than in practice with trainers and coaches.
Michael Jordan had a 'Love of the Game' clause in his contract
Jordan was so great that the Chicago Bulls were willing to risk paying his massive salary for an injury sustained during a game of streetball or at the local Y.M.C.A.
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“I had a clause in my contract — Love of the Game contract — that if I was driving with you down the street and I see a basketball game on the side of the road, I can go play in that basketball game. And if I get hurt, my contract is still guaranteed,” Jordan told Tirico.
“I love the game so much that I would never let someone take the opportunity for me to play the game away from me. As opposed to now, where you don’t have it. Players probably don’t play. Now they get individual attention with their trainer,” he continued.
Jordan believes that to improve your game truly, it has to be in a competitive situation, rather than the safety of a gymnasium with nothing on the line. “Sure, you’re ready to go out and shoot 100 shots — or a thousand shots. I found it to my benefit: go play basketball, man. That’s what you did. That’s what you grew up doing,” he continued. “Larry Bird took a whole summer to work on his left hand, right? He did it by playing basketball.”
Michael Jordan is passionate about community health in North Carolina
After retiring from the NBA in 2003, Jordan purchased the Charlotte Hornets franchise in his home state of North Carolina. He has also turned his passion to philanthropy. Since 2020, he has opened four family medical clinics in North Carolina that serve underinsured or uninsured families. "Everyone is worthy of access to quality health care, no matter where you live or if you have insurance," Jordan said in a statement announcing the opening of his fourth clinic this year, adding that he is "truly inspired by the many powerful stories of people who are now thriving thanks to the support of our Charlotte medical clinics."
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Ultimately, Jordan believes that those who have the privilege of playing the game for a living shouldn’t let fame, social media attention, and money get in the way of what they do on the court—because that’s the only thing that will last.
“Most [modern players] do a great job of navigating [off-court distractions]. That's as long as you understand that this is always going to be what you're remembered for. Basketball and your love for basketball should always be pure,” Jordan said. “I've always said this. We would play this game for free. We did. And now we just so happen to get paid for it.”