It was the fourth quarter in the championship game. The Bulls were gathered around coach, Phil Jackson, trying to figure out how to win this game. Phil looked to Michael Jordan and said, “Obviously, you have to make the shot. We only have a few seconds to make this happen, and I know you’re the one to do it.”
Michael felt honored. But he didn’t feel right about the decision. “Gee, coach. Couldn’t I sit this one out and we give the ball to David? He hasn’t played the whole game, and frankly doesn’t get much play during the season. He could probably make the shot just as well as I could.”
Coach Jackson and Jordan battled back and forth a bit about the decision, but eventually Michael got his way. They put David in the score that last two-pointer in the final seconds of the game.
Pippen in-bounded to Rodman. The five seconds began counting down. Rodman found David Vaughn in the corner, awaiting the pass he knew would come. He was wide open. Rodman tossed the ball his way and David caught it. He squared up his show as the clock hit two seconds. He jumped. The defender ran with intensity toward David as he loosed the ball. Time stood still as the basketball spun toward the rim. The clock slowly wound down and the buzzer rang as the ball approached the net.
One bounce on the rim. A bounce on the backboard. Then the ball dropped to the floor. They missed the shot. The game was over. The Bulls lost the championship. There was no second chance. The game was done. Their gamble to trust their bench player over Michael Jordan didn’t work out like they’d hoped.
This story would be a tragedy if this had actually happened. But anyone with any sports savvy would know this would have never happened. You know when you’re playing with Michael Jordan on the team, you pass him the ball. His strength is in those clutch moments. He knows what he’s doing with a ball. It’s not unfair to give the ball to Michael. Michael isn’t being arrogant by taking the ball and trusting in his ability to make the shot.
Humility is not pretending you aren’t good. That’s just dumb. But humility is realizing that your skills and strengths don’t make you better or worse than anyone else. Instead, you focus on using those skills to help others and contribute to the team.
Humility is not ignoring your strengths. It’s about choosing to use those strengths for others instead of letting them get to your head.
