DRIVEN FROM WITHIN : A reader's guide

Michael Jordan's latest book "Driven from Within" was released on Oct 24, 2005 without much fanfare aside from some cross-promotion on Brand Jordan's website www.jumpman23.com. This book is more for Jordan sneakerheads than anything else.

For the thousands of fans of Air Jordan shoes, this book more or less outlines the culture of Brand Jordan, its design philosophies and inspirations. This follows interviews of MJ, Tinker Hatfield and Howard White. I found Tinker's quotes on his inspiration or ideas when designing the various Air Jordan shoes very fascinating. From the AJ 1 to the AJ 20, you can read all about it in this book.

You can see prototype sketches of certain Air Jordans on the various pages, eg. Air Jordan V, VI, VII and XI. Also inserted in this book are two gate-fold posters of MJ Wings Poster in 1990 and MJ's 2005 AJ XX Laser Wings Poster from behind. These posters are small and ripping them out will damage the book. Nevertheless, it's a nice touch. Its 208 pages are beautifully illustrated.

History of MJ and his close relationship with Nike is clear throughout this book. A mindblowing revelation was that in 1988, the two prodigal sons of Nike, Peter Moore and Rob Strasser tried to lure MJ away and setup a new sneaker company. Peter was the designer of the Air Jordan I. Both left Nike in 1987 and already had an apparel company called Van Grack (pg. 59). Suffice to say, MJ didn't defect and all thanks to James Jordan (MJ's dad) who told MJ it's better to stay with an established sneaker company than joining a unknown thing. And you would not want to make enemies with Phil Knight because he is extremely competitive and will not let MJ leave peacefully. MJ was just coming off an ankle injury and sales of his Air Jordan II were not doing well. MJ had the feeling to leave. Phil Knight was well aware of this and had told Tinker to present something different that'll convince MJ to stay. Tinker and his team worked tirelessly for weeks to prepare the presentation. The clincher was when Tinker presented MJ a sample pair of AJ III. It had the Jumpman logo on the tongue...

"I told him we called in a few favors and that I actually had a sample of the shoe. He says, "You have a shoe already?" It was underneath a black cover. When I pulled the cover, Michael just lost it - his bad attitude disappeared. He got a big smile on his face." - Tinker Hatfield describes MJ's elation right after the Air Jordan 3 was unveiled.

MJ fell for it and Nike never looked back again.

The book is divided into seven sections.
1) INTRODUCTION
2) EARNED
3) UNCOMPROMISED
4) ASPIRATIONAL
5) AUTHENTIC
6) BEYOND
7) AFTERWORD

The paper isn't glossy stock you have with "For the Love of the Game" and the photos are not as good either. But what you have are rare photos of MJ and blueprints of prototype sneakers. The book is peppered by quotes by Deloris Jordan (MJ's mom), Rod Higgins, George Koehler (MJ's driver), David Falk, Howard White and Fred Whitfield. What drives Michael Jordan to work hard and improve himself as a person and as a hoopster. The theme is "not fearing failure, willingness to step out of norm and not follow the crowd."

MJ is financially conservative. Lessons learnt from his mom about budgeting and saving money for a rainy day. Also listening to Warren Buffet's mantra on investment strategy "Not much. Whatever my guts tells me, that's what I do." MJ is disciplined with money. During his rookie year, he and two team-mates had dinner at a restaurant and when it came down to splitting the bill, MJ didn't go 1/3, he only paid for what he ordered. He said he was not paying for shrimp cocktails that he did not even eat. They almost came to blows over that. As rich as he was, MJ is frugal with money.

He did not want to end up like Joe Louis, that boxer who made money and died a pauper. Early on in his career, MJ had seek financial advise and help from parents.

Also, he never takes short-cuts when doing things. It is step 1 to 10 and he is extremely meticulous about it. The way he packs his suits and luggage, the way he practises and the way he dresses. It is all about selling himself to the public and projecting a God-like image.

He is meticulous about how he plays, how the ball rolls off this fingers, his balance and footwork. No short-cuts, blocking the pain barrier and having a strong mind to push himself further.

Another quality MJ value is loyalty. As witnesssed by Fred Whitfield who is close friend of MJ and Ralph Sampson (Houston's Pick #1 in the 1983 NBA draft). Ralph had a huge Puma contract and he would take Fred to the Puma Factory Store so he could pickout the shoes he wanted. MJ also had a big Nike contract and he too had taken Fred to the Nike Factory Store for the same reason. Fred divided his Puma and Nike sneaker collection in half inside his closet. One day MJ went to Fred's apartment in Greensboro, MJ asked if he could borrow a jacket because it was freezing outside. Fred said sure and MJ went inside Fred's bedroom and he was there longer than usual. Next thing you know, MJ was piling up Fred's Puma collection in the living room, he then took a butcher knife from the kitchen and started cutting up the Pumas.

"Hey dude, call Howard tomorrow and tell him to replace all of this. But don't ever let me see you in anything other than Nike. You can't ride the fence." - Michael Jordan after he mutilated Fred Whitfield's PUMA sneaker collection

MJ's committment to Brand Jordan's future can not be faulted. In the book, MJ tells readers how he funded his own guarantee for the next 30 years if Nike committed enough marketing dollars to allow the brand to expand.

"We rolled the dice. I said I'd fund my own guarantee if they would committ enough marketing dollars to allow the brand to expand. So I funded my own guarantee in the last contract I signed - for 30 years." - Michael Jordan on the longevity of Brand Jordan

Fear of failure is not what MJ is scared of. Nor is the fear of success. For him, success means doing things differently from the crowd. Something that have never been done before. To be the leader instead of a follower. Brand Jordan is about creating its own style, packaging style over substance. It is not a fad. Style leaders are women fashion and it influences mens fashion according to MJ. Apparel has a 6-month lifecycle and you need to change to keep up with the fashion.

I found the book an entertaining read and in some parts, very enlightening. Some pages of the book answered some of the niggling questions Jordan fans had wondered about for years but can only speculate. For example, why did MJ retired in 1993? Is it because of the murder of his father? Is it because of the media pressures? Well, you just have to read to book to find out. PEACE.

Jordan, Michael, 1963-
Driven from Within

ISBN 0-7432-8559-X
EAN 9780743285599

Published in 2005 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, Great Britain
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Compilation copyright 2005 by Rare Air, Ltd.
Text copyright 2005 by Michael Jordan

W x H x D : 10.3 x 8.1 x 1.0 inches (261 x 208 x 28 mm)
Weight : 2.1 pounds (950g)
RRP US$35 AUD$45