Michael Jordan

The Life

By: Roland Lazenby

Narrated by: Bob Souer

Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

The definitive biography of a legendary athlete.

The Shrug. The Shot. The Flu Game. Michael Jordan is responsible for sublime moments so ingrained in sports history that they have their own names. When most people think of him, they think of his beautiful shots with the game on the line, his body totally in sync with the ball - hitting nothing but net.

But for all his greatness, this scion of a complex family from North Carolina's Coastal Plain has a darker side: He's a ruthless competitor and a lover of high stakes. There's never been a biography that encompassed the dual nature of his character and looked so deeply at Jordan on and off the court - until now.

Basketball journalist Roland Lazenby spent almost 30 years covering Michael Jordan's career in college and the pros. He witnessed Jordan's growth from a skinny rookie to the instantly recognizable global ambassador for basketball whose business savvy and success have millions of kids still wanting to be just like Mike. Yet Lazenby also witnessed the Michael Jordan whose drive and appetite are more fearsome and more insatiable than any of his fans could begin to know. Michael Jordan: The Life explores both sides of his personality to reveal the fullest, most compelling story of the man who is Michael Jordan. Lazenby draws on his personal relationships with Jordan's coaches; countless interviews with Jordan's friends, teammates, and family members; and interviews with Jordan himself to provide the first truly definitive study of Michael Jordan: The player, the icon, and the man.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2014 Roland Lazenby (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"It's not every day that I'm blown away by a book about a sports figure. But Michael Jordan: The Life, by Roland Lazenby, ranks up there with the very best: The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn, Friday Night Lights by Buzz Bissinger, and Joe DiMaggio by Richard Ben Cramer. The depth of reporting, his frequent ascent into poetry, and his intelligent analysis of the life of this complicated, fascinating American icon deserve Pulitzer Prize consideration. For the first time I understand what makes Michael Jordan tick. I was captivated, fascinated and beguiled from beginning to end." (Peter Golenbock, New York Times-best-selling author of George and In the Country of Brooklyn)

Comprehensive But I Want More

A full history of nearly every aspect of Michael Jordan's life. I wish the circumstances surrounding his first retirement were explored more. It's my only real criticism of the content. The story flowed pretty much in chronological order and was well paced for such a long book.

Performance only dinged slightly for some basketball player name pronunciations.

Still well worth the time investment.

One of the best

One of the best documentaries I’ve ever listened to about one of the greatest athletes to ever live, highly recommended

I Love It!!!!!

It is so interesting! I love Michael Jordan and this is better than I thought it would be!

Michael Jordan a Life

Great story. Read with terrific voice. I've never been a huge basketball fan but that doesn't matter here. I've heard of Michael Jordan of course and his story is staggering with his determination dedication talent intelligence and rough nearly uncontrollable anger
He expected all teammates to give 100% all the time. That's fine with me. DO that if u r in the pros and making big $$$

Great book.

It's easy to forget superstars are humans. This gave great insight on his life and his fight to make it to the top. Truly inspiring for all who strive to be better. Not just in basketball.

Awesome book

Great story, perfect narrated. Great to hear the true story about Michael Jordan from someone who is not from the U.S. Highly recommended!!!

I thought I knew Jordan. Great book, I am glad I

Loved it, it was a great story. I have been a Jordan fan for years and even though there were things in the book that shocked me my respect is still intact for this flawed titan.

I love Jordan

This book was fully detailed and fantastic very easy to keep track of, an easy read. I'd love to retread it.

Excellent book on leader ship and team dynamics

I really enjoyed this book. Although it was a bit of a deep dive into Michael Jordan‘s ancestors, and childhood, it’s worth it to get to the building of such a great competitor and his teenage and adult years. This was very rewarding, and as somebody who is always building teams in business, I got a lot out of the lessons in this book.

Michael is far from the idol he is

Intriguing with a different turn of events.very revealing. He is only human in a human world.