Playing is Fun, Practice is Work

Asked about his famous penchant for driving himself hard in practice (a habit he shares with Lebron James) in a cover interview in the August issue of Cigar Aficianado, Michael Jordan had this to say:

'I was taught to do it that way by my parents, and by the way they approached their daily activities. It wasn't half-assed. So I practiced like I played. So when I played, playing was fun. Practice is work. You're working on the idiosyncracies of what your game needs, so when the game comes, you showcase it and you utilize it. You build your game on it. Practice wasn't just a place to take time off. You work on things in practice. On shooting , on going left or on using your left hand--those types of things that help you get better.'