Michael Jordan says his Bulls contract had a clause he’s positive no players today have. It’s the secret to becoming the best

Michael Jordan is widely recognized as one of the best basketball players to ever live. In a recent interview, Jordan revealed one of the secrets to his success:

His love of the game.

Jordan says he loved the game so much that he made sure to have a special clause included in his contract when playing with the Chicago Bulls, one which he’s “positive” players today don’t have: the “love of the game” clause.

“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,” Jordan told NBC’s Mike Tirico. “And if I get hurt, my contract is still guaranteed.”

Jordan went on to explain that constant practice, not just doing drills but playing real games, helped him and other NBA players like Larry Bird master their craft. It was playing in games that helped players develop their love of basketball, and helped them remain passionate about the game, rather than just viewing it as a job.

“I love the game so much. I would never let someone take the opportunity for me to play the game away from me,” Jordan said.

Jordan’s “love of the game” clause teaches us an important secret to finding career success, namely: To truly become the best at what you do, you have to love it.

This secret is related to emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions to reach a goal. How can you leverage emotional intelligence to master what you do? Let’s explore. (If you enjoy this article, consider signing up for my free emotional intelligence course.)

Leveraging your “love of the game”

To clarify, Jordan wasn’t speaking about becoming the best basketball player ever.

Although countless fans and analysts alike have pegged Jordan as the GOAT (greatest of all time), Jordan typically steers away from that conversation, saying that title disrespects the basketball legends who’ve come before him, and the players who play today.

Rather, Jordan was primarily interested in reaching his full potential—and his love of the game fueled that drive. “Basketball was that type of love for me,” Jordan said. “I had to find a way to make sure I was the best basketball player I could be.”

Jordan’s success led to his becoming the wealthiest professional athlete in history. Most of his earnings didn’t come from his playing contracts, though. Rather, they resulted in multiple business ventures and branding deals, most notably the Jordan brand with Nike.

But Jordan says that for him, the brand never affected what he was going to do on the basketball court. “I put the work first, and then the brand evolved based on the work,” Jordan said. “We would play this game for free. We did. And now we just happen to get paid for it.”

So, how can you apply this to your own work?

There are several reasons business owners run the businesses they do. You may have taken over a family business. Maybe you dabbled in the world of self-employment and discovered you enjoyed the freedom it offered. Other entrepreneurs become so out of necessity: Mark Cuban started his first business after getting fired.

But regardless of how you got into the business you now run, the secret to mastering your craft is to develop a love for what you do.

Ask yourself:

• What aspects of my work do I really love? The things I’d do for free?
• How can I practice those things as much as possible?
• How can I further leverage that love to master my craft?

As you answer those questions, and as you put in the work, you’ll find yourself constantly improving, continually growing, and consistently becoming a better (work) version of yourself. Because if there’s one thing that Michael Jordan taught us, it’s that natural ability, talent, and skill will get you far, but love is what makes you the best.

—Justin Bariso

This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister publication, Inc.

Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.

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