While giving an inspiring speech to young athletes, Serena Williams complimented Michael Jordan and stated how the GOAT never played basketball for money.

Michael Jordan is by far the best player the league has ever witnessed. Suiting up for the Chicago Bulls, Mike is one of the most influential players to make a positive impact on the league.

Not only was Jordan the face of the league, but he was also one of the most popular icons in the entire world. To date, basketball enthusiasts rave about his gameplay and accomplishments.

Being a 14-time All-Star, 6-time NBA champ, 6-time Finals MVP, 5-time MVP and a Hall-Of-Famer, there is virtually nothing that MJ hasn’t achieved.

Helping his team win 2 successful three-peats in 8 years, His Airness really led his Bulls team to be the most dominant team in the 1990s. This is why several analysts and fans refer to the former Bulls shooting guard as the basketball god.

In his 15-year-long career, Jordan never used money as a motivating factor. Even though Mike was known to be an excessive gambler, he would always find the motivation to be the best player at any given time.

Also Read: When Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley participated in a shooting contest on a Japanese game show

“You could see the passion that Michael Jordan played with”: Serena Williams

Out of the million die-hard fans Michael Jordan had, tennis superstar Serena Williams was one of them. Being the most accomplished women tennis player ever, Williams has surely taken a lot of knowledge from Air Jordan.

Recently, Williams gave a strong and inspiring speech to young athletes who had graduated from the Mouratoglou Academy. In her speech, she mentioned Michael Jordan and the fact that the GOAT played the sport because he enjoyed it. The 23-time Grand Slam winner said:

“I think of Michael Jordan and that guy never played basketball, to like, make money. But he played because he loved what he did. You could see the passion that he had when he was out there. He absolutely enjoyed every minute of that.”

“So, I would definitely say that’s one thing that you wanna take with you is enjoy what you do and that is one way that you’ll able to find success.”

Also Read: When Hall of Famer John Stockton lauded the Bulls legend and his Dream Team teammate

These two sporting greats have achieved it all in their respective games. Young and aspiring athletes should take note of any valuable learnings these generational type of talent have to offer.