"Jordan made the right decision by biting his tongue" - Nicki Minaj outlines major change Michael Jordan has brought in her life
Six-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Michael Jordan is a sports personality who has influenced many people around the world. His actions on and off the court have brought praise and criticism, sometimes both at the same time.
Back in 2020, Netflix released "The Last Dance," a documentary about Jordan's final championship with the Chicago Bulls (1997-1998). In the documentary, Jordan talked about the relationship he had with his teammates, rivals and fellow legends like Isiah Thomas.
It appears that the program, aside from providing an inside look at Michael Jordan's final year in Chicago, also affected many people's way of thinking. One of those people is famous rapper, Nicki Minaj.
She spoke to Vogue about how Michael Jordan and "The Last Dance" changed her life:
"I realized that Jordan made the right decision by biting his tongue earlier, when he was in the game. If I could go back and maybe save some of those things I said for later, like Jordan did. ... yes. Maybe I would have. Maybe I should have. I don’t know.
"Most people don’t want to hear you talking all day anyway. People want the art you offer. Somehow now I look back, and I think about the things that I used to care about, the things that used to ruin my day, and I can’t believe I let those miscellaneous things stop me from focusing. For sure that’s progress, right?"
Michael Jordan's career influenced many celebrities and athletes
Michael Jordan's playing career and way of life have influenced a lot of people worldwide. Nicki Minaj is one of them, but she is not the only celebrity that Jordan influenced.
LeBron James always has high praise for Jordan. These are the two main candidates for the greatest player of all time debate and James has nothing but respect for Jordan.
After passing Jordan as the best playoff scorer in league history back in 2017, James said the following to the press:
"I think, first of all, you know, I wear the number 23 because of Mike. I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just seeing what he was able to accomplish. But I felt like Mike was so — you know, when you're growing up and you're seeing Michael Jordan, it's almost like a god.
"Growing up I did everything Mike did. I even wore a wristband on my forearm. But I did everything Mike did, man. I wanted to be Mike."
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry once talked about Jordan, saying he wasn't interested in what politicians were saying, but would also pay attention to Micahel Jordan.
The same goes for the legendary Michael Phelps, who holds the record for most gold medals in swimming in the Olympics. Phelps wanted to be like Jordan in terms of his competitiveness and constantly elevating his game.
"I guess to put it quite blunt, everyone's says he (Jordan) was an a**hole, but I would say the same thing about myself. I was an a**hole when I was training because I wanted to help everybody make sure they had the same exact chances I had.
"That was the guy I wanted to be. I wanted to do in so many ways what he did in the sport of basketball," Phelps said, via the Daily Mail.
Without a doubt, many celebrities learned from watching Michael Jordan. His competitive nature and drive to achieve greatness have left an impression on people around the world in every walk of life.