Jordan: Resting is not necessary. Your job is to play basketball for 2-3 hours.

On October 29, the second episode of Michael Jordan's talk show "MJ: Insights into Excellence" was broadcast. In this episode, he talked about his views on load management in today's NBA league.

"First of all, load management shouldn't be a must." Jordan said, "I never want to miss a game because it's a chance to prove myself. I want to impress the guy sitting at the top of the arena because he probably paid a lot to get that ticket. ... He might be yelling at me, scolding me, and I want him to shut up. If the fans want to see me play, as a player, it is my responsibility to go out and play."

Load management is an operation frequently adopted by NBA teams in recent years, but the older generation of players generally does not recognize this model. Players from Jordan's era will tell you that unless an injury keeps you sidelined, they're going to play. However, in recent years, it has become more and more common for healthy players to rest in order to rest. The NBA has even introduced rules related to awards, requiring players to play at least 65 regular season games in order to be eligible for regular season awards.

The team does this based on scientific research. Jordan understands that he cannot play with injuries, but he does not agree with the practice of healthy players missing games due to "rest". This situation has outraged fans for years.

"From a physical health perspective, if I can't play, I can't play. But if I can play, I will play. That situation where you can play but don't want to play is completely different." The NBA legend said, "I want to play, I want to win, I want to have an impact. I have always felt that as long as I can play, I have the responsibility to lead my teammates onto the court. Even if I can't ——Take Utah as an example, it’s Game 5 of the Finals, a crucial game, and I’m going to find a way to get on the court, even if I’m just a decoy. Once I’m on the court, I push myself, you never know what’s going to happen. Emotion, situation, demand—all these things will push me: I have to keep going.”

Jordan has maintained an amazing attendance rate for most of his career. He played in all 82 regular season games nine times in 15 seasons, including his final season at age 39 when he played in every regular season game for the Washington Wizards.

In 15 seasons of Jordan's career, he played at least 78 games in 12 seasons. The only three outlier seasons were the year following a broken foot (played in only 18 games), 1995 when he returned from his first retirement (played in only 17 games), and the 2001-02 season after knee surgery (played in 60 games).

Jordan would insist on playing games even when he was sick, such as the famous "Flu Game" when Jordan suffered from stomach flu, but he still scored 38 points to help the team defeat the Utah Jazz 90-88 in the Finals.

Last season, 11 players played in 82 regular season games, but none of them was an All-Star. James Harden became the All-Star player who played the most games last season with 79 games.

"Going back to the load management issue you mentioned, you play basketball for 2-3 hours every day. That's your job. As an NBA player, that's how you make money. So what do you do for the remaining 21 hours? At that time, you should prepare for the next day's work and the next challenge. I may not be the kind of person you can imitate, but you should reflect on the true meaning of load management." Jordan said.

(Text/Chaifu)