"Good fortune and health.”: Roland Lazenby breaks down formula behind Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant's legend
Roland Lazenby is an American sportswriter who has published books on some of the NBA's greatest players. He recently opened up on a common link between a handful of the basketball's most historic performers.
Roland Lazenby published his first book in 1987, and has gone on to release many more. Some of the people he's written about include Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. His latest book, "Magic: The Life of Earvin "Magic" Johnson," is set to hit the shelves at the end of October.
While speaking with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Roland Lazenby touched on a similarity between guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. He cited that they are all extremely driven individuals which leads them to do things other athletes haven't done.
“What all of these guys have is an iron will to go with their drive and athletic ability. They’re not going to bend. They’re not going to break. They’re going to make good things happen that other good athletes can’t do," Lazenby said. "You may think somebody is a great player, but they really don’t have the will to get it done. It requires other things – good fortune and health.”
Roland Lazenby cites NBA greats as strong-willed from a young age
Like everyone, professional athletes have faced hardships in their early lives that have shaped them to who they are now. Roland Lazenby feels these instances are what molded some of these NBA greats to excell in the sport.
Later in the interview, Lazenby touched on how stars like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were able to rebuild themselves after struggles in their early life. He even brought in LA Lakers legend Jerry West on this analogy. Because they were such driven individuals, they were able to overcome the odds.
"Jerry’s adolescent trauma was the death of his older brother, David, in the Korean War," Lazenby said. "Michael Jordan had his troubles to overcome and battled all kinds of disappointment and fatherly disapproval. Kobe came in and struggled because he was so young out of high school... Kobe nearly destroyed his career. But he had the ironwill to rebuild it in premier fashion."
Even though each of these Hall of Famers faced hard times, they managed to turn it into a positive. They established a strong will and it allowed them to ascend to a higher level as a player. Without it, they might not have had the drive and dedication to put the work in to become an all-time great.