Sunday, just before the evening took over the day, I was checking the ball in against what many regard as the best basketball ball-handler in the World!

A guy who, when observed on the court, makes the ball look like it’s an extension of himself.

His name, Patrick Robinson or as he’s better known to the basketball world…Pat The Roc!

To get an idea of what I’m talking about, check out the video below.

Pat The Roc – Showing off the Handles

httpvh://youtu.be/zOyIJn7uNVM

How My Game of 1-on-1 Happened

Friday afternoon I was sitting downtown in my office at work, when I received an Instagram notification from Coach Gerrod Trytten of Orlando Hoops.

Now, I knew the crew that is Orlando Hoops was teaming up with Pat The Roc on Sunday for a basketball camp, but I never thought that would equate to us playing.

Most likely it wouldn’t have if Pat didn’t post what he posted Friday afternoon.

Pat asked through the social media photo network, “Name one person you would like to play one on one,” and Gerrod being the great guy that he is, told Pat about me and this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan.

He let Pat know that he’s sure I’d like to play him, if he was up for it.

Less than an hour later, the game was set!

Pat The Roc – Streetball Legend & Much More

Pat’s list of accolades is too long to list in this post, but he spent five years on the And1 mixtape tour, has been featured in two video games, has been sponsored by the likes of Gatorade, Under Armor and Hoop Culture, and has been spotlighted numerous times in SLAM magazine…just to name a few.

I knew about the basketball side of Pat, but what I didn’t know is the part that stopped me in my tracks.

If you’ve been following this journey, you know that I have a saying that I live by and I’ve been saying it for a long time.  It is, “Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work.”  It’s what I live.  It’s what I believe.

Well, beyond the basketball court, Pat has a non-profit organization called Team A.I.P. (Anything Is Possible) which encourages kids to believe that anything is possible when it comes to their dreams.

Now tell me our meeting was just a coincidence!

Today, beyond TEAM A.I.P., Pat travels the globe doing camps like the one at Orlando Hoops and training some of the NBA’s best, like Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings, shown below.

Pat The Roc – Training Tyreke Evans of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings 

httpvh://youtu.be/obtytcKk8mE

Me vs. Pat The Roc

httpvh://youtu.be/PFlvmZn8qyM

1-on-1 Recap

As you saw in the video, the game wasn’t even close.  I tried my best, but in the end, the final score was 15-3 (2 points for me didn’t count).

In life though, it’s not always about the score.

Honestly, it’s not easy on the ego for me to get beat so handily time and time again on this site.  The truth is though, you have to be willing to lose, if you ever want a chance to truly win.

I hope that this journey is showing you that.

For me, it was truly a privilege to match-up with someone like Pat and see what I could do or stop him from doing (not much, haha).  For me, regardless of the score, I won!

I encourage you all to get out there and get those dreams!

It won’t always be the prettiest ride (see above) but I guarentee you’ll have a blast every step of the way!

me vs. Michael Jordan…the amazing journey continues!  As always, thank you following along!

Special Thanks

I’d like to give a HUGE S/O to Pat The Roc for taking the time after an all day camp to play basketball with me and help me on my journey.  The guy is a class act!  Check him out on his site!

Also, I’d like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my Orlando Hoops family.  Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible!  You guys are the best!  If you’re anywhere close to Central Florida, you must check them out!  Great, great people!  Thank you!

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If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

Saturday evening, during the silent auction portion of what is always a wonderful charitable night at the Bridges of Light Foundation’s Players Ball, I stood with my wife and her friend and took in a few magic tricks.

As the young magician, one of three or four, sent to patrol the room and entertain guests finished, I looked up and saw Marcus Jordan, the son of Michael Jordan.

A few minutes later I made my way over to Marcus to introduce myself.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” – Marcus Jordan

As Marcus stood with a group of friends, I walked up, introduced myself and my wife and as soon as I mentioned mevsMJ.com and handed him a card, he said, “Oh yeah, I’ve been to the site and read your bio and stuff.  It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Pleasantly surprised, what happened next couldn’t have gone any better.

Because his group of friends was so inquisitive about my journey, I gave them all cards and was able to share with them and Marcus exactly why I began this site and what it has morphed into.

They absolutely loved it!

At one point one of the friends pointed to Marcus and said something like, “Well, he’s the one that can make it happen!”  To which Marcus laughed and replied, “Yeah, I’ve gotta work on that.”

It’s Not About Trying to Beat Your Dad at Basketball

To be able to explain this journey in detail and to let Marcus know that I’m not delusional, that it’s not about trying to beat his dad at basketball and for him to GET IT and understand better what I’m looking to accomplish, is all for which I could have asked.

Trust Your Path

Early Saturday morning, hours before I was telling Marcus Jordan that this is about showing others that anything is possible with faith & hard work, I felt compelled to write about trusting your path on the mevsMJ.com Facebook Page.

How fitting those very words turned out to be.

me vs. Michael Jordan…the amazing journey continues!  What happens next!?  We’ll have to wait and see!  As always, thank you for following along!

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If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

With my eyes focused down towards the hardwood floor, I placed one foot after the other inside my Jordan slides.  As I began to close up my gym bag, I heard someone several feet away say, “Oh, he’s getting ready to leave.  Maybe next time.”

I had just finished running some full court games with the older kids at the Orlando Hoops/Chandler Parsons basketball camp back in June.

Prior to the games, I had given my first speech (see below) on this journey that is mevsMJ.com to the group of +100 kids, coaches and players in attendance.

I was hungry.  So hungry that my stomach was yelling at me the only way a stomach knows how.

Truth is I hadn’t eaten lunch that day due to a combination of being nervous and very excited about sharing my journey with the group of young ballers.

Because of that, I had planned on leaving the camp after speaking, so that I could get some much needed nutrition before my evening basketball workout session with the college players began.

But when I heard the voice, I looked up to find Orlando Hoops founder Irwin Hudson standing there with three or four of the younger kids that were attending the camp.

Irwin smiled and said, “They wanted to play you 1-on-1.”

They want to play me??

Honestly as I sat there, I didn’t feel like playing ball at all, but I knew exactly how those young people felt as they stood there looking at me.

I’ve asked numerous NBA players to play me 1-on-1 during my journey to play Michael Jordan and every single time they’ve always had some reason or excuse that keeps them from hooping with me.

Because of that, because I know how that feels, there wasn’t anything that was going to keep me from playing basketball with those young people that day.

If they wanted to play me, I was going to play!

Four becomes 20!

As I jumped back into my Jordans and walked out on the court to play the three or four, that three or four multiplied to a group of some 20 kids that were all lined up underneath the basketball goal for their chance to play me, the guy who wants to play MJ, 1-on-1.

With the other 80 camp participants lining the exterior of the court, I began playing one game after the other to three points until everyone that wanted to play had their shot at me.

I had a blast!

What’s In It For Me?

Too often in life I think we can all be guilty of evaluating situations and opportunities with the what’s in it for me mentality?

You know the, “If it’s good for me, I’ll do it,” kind of logic.

I’m sure NBA players don’t see any benefit in playing basketball with me and at the surface I totally understand that.  I’m not a great basketball player.

At the surface there wasn’t any benefit for me to play those 20 or so young people either.  They certainly weren’t going to help me get more prepared for MJ.

But beyond the initial layer, beyond just the basketball, was more for me than I ever could have expected.

To see the excitement on their faces as they walked out to play or to hear all the kids erupt as a group if someone scored on me absolutely blew me away.

Here I was, someone that never played more than a year of high school basketball, at an NBA player’s basketball camp and because of this journey a group of young people wanted to play me! 

It was so humbling for me.  After all, I’m just a guy who believes and is willing to work harder than most and because of that I have been rewarded with such fulfilling experiences like this one in June.

Now tell me impact can’t be made!

I’ll of course never know exactly what the kids got out hooping with me, but I know I received a lot that day.

A Better Me

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I’m a better version of me than I was when I began this site.

Prior to August of 2010, I don’t know if given a similar circumstance, if I would have played all of those kids.  I might have very well done what has been done to me so many times and politely gotten out of it.

Because of the struggle, because of the rejection, and because of the triumph, I see things in such a much different way today.

I am thankful for every no, just as much as I’m thankful for every yes.

I am a better me because of them both.

On my desk, in my home office, in a frame, is a small grouping of words that leans against my printer just to the right of my computer.

Those words are  “Sometimes on the way to the dream, you get lost and find a better one.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Thank you for reading this writer’s words.  Thank you for believing in a guy with a dream.  Your support fuels me and for that I am so thankful!

As you venture out to where life takes you, I hope that you too find a better you.

me vs. MJ…my journey to play Michael Jordan continues!  It’s gonna happen!  As always, thank you for following along.

My Speech at the Chandler Parsons Camp

httpvh://youtu.be/SROFx9HBAHw

[If you are reading via email/RSS, click here to watch video]

Special thanks to Orlando Hoops and Chandler Parsons for believing in my journey!

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If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

My shoulder hurts.  The right one.  The one I’ve used over and over again during my life to make thousands upon thousands of shots.

It’s painful.  I’ve never been stabbed, but if I were to guess what that feels like; it would be how my shoulder feels most of the time these days when I shoot the basketball.  Sharp stings.

The cause, I can only trace back to the large stacks of push-ups I did on a nightly basis during the NBA playoffs.  Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done.  I’ve had massages, treatments and have done my best to stay away from the courts as much as possible over the last two months, in an attempt to let it heal.  But I missed the game.

This week I said hello again to the game I love.

***

Thursday evening, after an hour and a half of makes and misses wrapped in pain, I sat down and talked some basketball history with a friend at the rec center.  We talked about MJ of course.

It was my third trip to the courts in the last four days.

Each day a bit better than the one before it, I could see my shot beginning to shine more and more and resemble its former self as I polished away.

After 20 or so minutes of conversation, I got up and asked my friend, “How many makes in a row before I leave today?”

He spat back, “10…wait, are you talking free throws?”

I said, “No man, threes!”

“You can’t make 10 threes in a row,” he quipped.

I shook my head at his lack of belief and responded, “OK, you just sit there and watch.”

44 Minutes

I honestly expected it to take me less than five minutes for me to make 10 three pointers in a row.

A few months ago, making 10 from downtown was easy earned.  I won’t say easy, because that would be a lie.  I’ve earned the right to make shots through tons of repetition.  It was never easy.

After just two or three minutes I was up to 8 in a row.

Miss.

Make, make, make, make, make…miss.

This pattern continued for the next 44 minutes as I shot one ball after the other.

Soaked with effort down through my socks, legs tired, arm fatigued, shoulder smarting, quitting without a doubt crossed my mind.

The thoughts, who would know or care if you stopped now and it’s ok to quit because you should take it easy on your shoulder, said hello.

But I refused to quit and kept shooting.

Then it finally happened.  14 makes in a row later I had accomplished my goal.

Where You Find Success!

Success isn’t as hard to find as people say it is.  It’s found right behind faith and a lot of hard work.

If you want success, just do what you say you’re going to do!

It won’t be easy.  But it’s possible!

While I was shooting, two others joined me in the task of making 10 three pointers in a row.  They were both really good shooters and one of them even got to 9 in a row once.  But they both quit before realizing the goal.

Today I know that I was the best shooter in that gym…and so do they.  That’s a HUGE difference in mindset and it comes by DOING or the lack there of.

The Magic is Within You!

A great friend of mine, Robert Brown, has a saying.  He says, “It’s no magic trick.  If you work hard you’ll be better.”

He’s right.  The magic is within you!

Two Things That You Control Today, That WILL Change Your Tomorrow

Success comes down to what you believe and the effort you put forth.

You control both of them.

Now you don’t get to control much in life, but you do control what you believe and how hard you work!

Belief

I consistently and constantly feed myself encouragement.

It’s going to be a great day!  I will be blessed in my business!  I am a great shooter!  I am a great writer, I am a great speaker, and on and on and on!

Now I want to improve in all things, but I feel that I’m destined for greatness!

That’s not being cocky.  That’s living your purpose!

You have to see it to believe it!

You have to believe it before you can achieve it!

Hard Work

Then I take that faith and belief and work really, really hard.

I keep going when others stop, because I’ve already seen my success!

I know I just need to have faith and keep working hard!

Michael Jordan and My Dream

Before I shook hands with Michael Jordan and told him about mevsMJ.com, I saw it happen!

I’ve seen the 1-on-1 game with MJ!

I’ve seen myself speaking to thousands, encouraging young and old what I believe, that Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

I’ve seen lives changed!

What Do You See?

Whatever your mevsMJ.com is, I know it’s possible!

You’ve just got to have faith and you’ve got to work hard!

It’s waiting for you!

I will play Michael Jordan and impact lives!  What are you going to do?

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!

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If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

Do you know that this almost never happened?

Do you know that I almost quit before I began?

Do you know that I have the same haunting voice that you have, telling me that I’m not good enough?

Telling me that my dreams aren’t important enough.

Telling me every single reason why my dreams will never come true.

Do you know that this almost never happened?

Do you know that I almost let that voice win?

I am no different than you.

Not more special, not more inclined.

Please don’t be satisfied with just being happy with every step of my success.

That’s not what this is about.

There was almost no me versus Michael Jordan.

But there is and the game will be.

It’s changed my life.

Changed it in ways that far outstretch the limits of a basketball court.

What could your dreams do for you, if you allowed them to live?

Do you know that this almost never happened?

me vs. Michael Jordan…the dream is alive!

This Almost Never Happened

httpvh://youtu.be/wnA1goOWwxU

[click here to watch video]

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If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

Charlotte, NC – 

It was last Wednesday afternoon, in the 23^rd month of this journey, and there he was, Michael Jeffrey Jordan – the six rings, the 32,292 points, the 6x NBA Finals MVP, the game winners, the G.O.A.T, the reason I play basketball and the inspiration for this site.

Just minutes after his welcoming speech at the 4^th Annual Charlotte Bobcats Fantasy Camp, he stood alone on the side of the court as the camp staff ushered us off, so that group photos could be taken.

I was just feet from Michael Jordan, the MJ in mevsMJ.com and I almost didn’t approach him.  Internally I battled as to whether or not it was the right time.

I figured surely I would see him again or would I?

Hours Before

In an oversized chair located in the dimly lit lobby of a Charlotte hotel, I sat and reflected.  I thought about all of the places this journey had taken me, what I’ve learned about myself and others, the people that have encouraged, supported and helped and of course those that have been less than stellar in my pursuit.

I was just hours away from, well I wasn’t exactly sure, but what I did know was that Michael Jordan would be there and with that came an opportunity to realize the dream.

An Unexpected Phone Call

Two weeks prior, at an all day breakfast joint in downtown Orlando, in between bites of omelet and sips of coffee, I received an unexpected phone call from Charlotte, North Carolina that changed everything.

The caller after having identified himself as being with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats, said he was calling to make sure my experience with the Bobcats had been a good one this year.

I thanked him for calling, but explained that I hadn’t been to a game, which left him in silence.

He asked, really?

He regrouped and said that perhaps I had attended a concert or some sort of an event at the arena this year.

When I let him know that I had never been to Charlotte and that I in fact lived just outside of Orlando, Florida, he couldn’t believe it.

Still surprised and probably not quite sure where to take the conversation at that point, he closed with, “Well, I’m not really sure how we have your information, but if you are ever in the area and you’d like to come to a game, please let me know if I can help.”

I thanked him again and then right before we ended the call an image of a 48 year old Jordan dunking flashed through my head.  With nothing to lose, I figured I would ask about the event that was held last year in which MJ did this.  He knew what I was referring to, so I then asked if they would be doing a similar event again anytime soon.

He let me know that the Bobcats were and within hours I was confirmed for the camp to be held exactly two weeks later!

Nerves

I’m not someone that generally gets very nervous.  I don’t get star struck either, ever.  My time in sports television cured me of that as a young man.

I admit, sure I was a little nervous/excited before my speech at the Chandler Parsons basketball camp recently.  I think that’s normal though, as I just wanted to do my best and make an impact on the young people.  I was excited before my time with Mark Cuban.  More excited than nervous before playing pros.  All what I would say are quite normal feelings.

This whole trip to Charlotte was at another level though.  I had adrenaline overload for almost the entire 14 days leading up the the camp!  Sleepless nights on the regular.  I’d wake up at 2am and think it was time to go get some makes in.  That happened multiple mornings.  The day of the camp I had to force myself to eat.

I suppose it was all of the unknowns, the uncontrollables.  Would I get to speak with Michael, would he like what I was doing, would he agree to play, would he get that my goal is bigger than a game of basketball?

I didn’t know any of the answers to those questions, but that is where I had to lean on my faith.

There wasn’t an ounce of me that thought that the phone call I received was any kin to the word accident.

Shoot Around & My mevsMJ.com Shirt

I arrived at the arena right at 4:30 pm, checked in and was given a nice big Jordan brand bag, branded shorts, shirt, socks and Gatorade.

I changed like everyone else into the given attire, with one exception.  Instead of donning the sweet Jumpman camp shirt, I slid my mevsMJ.com shirt over it.

I had thought I would just warm up with it on and then take it off, as it isn’t a dri-fit type of shirt, but rather a cotton one.  That of course means it can get a little hot.

After 30 or so minutes of shooting though, it hit me.  The day wasn’t about me shooting the ball well or performing well.

My sole purpose was to get my message to Michael Jordan – and with that I decided to wear the shirt the entire time.

I’m glad I did.

Me and Michael Jordan

As everyone was making their way off the court for group photos, I took a step towards Michael, then still battling myself internally a step away, before deciding to just go for it.

I walked up, introduced myself to Michael Jordan and then the man I watched dominate so many basketball games, made it so easy.

After the intial hello, I asked while pointing to my shirt, “Have you had a chance to check out my site mevsMJ.com?”

He leaned around and read it aloud, “me verses MJ dot com”

I interjected, “I gave you a card down in Orlando.“

He began to smile as he shook his head no, saying “mevsMJ.com.  No, no, I haven’t had a chance to check it out, but I’m going to go upstairs right after we are done taking pictures and take a look!”

I began telling him what I was looking to accomplish, what the site has become, when he then reached back and got the attention of Bobcats President and COO Fred Whitfield.

He said, “Hey Fred, you gotta check this out.  He’s got a site called mevsMJ.com.  We’ve got to go check that out upstairs as soon as we are done here.”

Fred nodded in agreement as we spoke.

Explaining that my purpose was bigger than basketball, I then turned around and asked Michael to read the back of my shirt.

He placed his hands on my shoulders and read the message I’ve been spreading aloud, “Anything is Possible with Faith & Hard Work”.

He then read my name which runs vertically on the back of the shirt and said with one of his famous mannerisms, “OK, I’m going to check it out!”

As I took a step away, he asked, “Is it hot?”

Looking back, before I could respond, he asked again, “You got anything hot on the site?”

I said, “Of course!”

He then smiled again and said, “OK, I’m gonna go upstairs, check it out, and then come back down here and tell you if it’s hot or not!”

I laughed and said, “Sounds good!”

Video of Me and Michael Jordan

Here is some video from my interaction with Michael Jordan.

 httpvh://youtu.be/wnA1goOWwxU

[If you are reading this via email/feed – click here to watch video.]

Fantasy Camp

With my group, I took my photo with Michael and the other coaches.

I then went through the camp, won the shooting contest and was the last person to leave the arena.

The ushers actually had to come take the ball from me, but not before I made my 10^th free throw in a row.

Michael never came back down, but I fully understood as he and the Bobcats’ staff was working on a possible trade for the team.

Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work

After 23 months of effort, thousands upon thousands of words, through training at all hours, the injuries, rejection, doubt and pessimism, through life changing experiences, to the testing of everything I believe in, on July 11th, 2012, the dreamer won!

I’ve always believed that if the purpose was pure, that ANYTHING Is Possible with FAITH and HARD WORK!

Sure, Michael and I haven’t played 1-on-1 yet.

But we all know, it’s only a matter of time now.

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!  As always thank you for following along.

Me and Michael Jordan Photos

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[To see full images – click here]

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

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If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

On May 31st, before Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the San Antonio Spurs, I sent out the following tweet just after 8pm:

Do the spurs win again tonight?I’m taking okc – Durant with 53!!!Haha

— Kenny Eller (@KennyEller) May 31, 2012

Then a little over 30 minutes later I was on the pre-game show on TNT with Ernie, Kenny, Chuck and Shaq, very unexpectedly of course:

httpvh://youtu.be/yHo7yuRHnQY

[Click here to see video of me on NBA on TNT Pre-Game Show]

I actually had the TNT pre-game show going in the other room at the time and was in my office on the computer when my buddy Justin called and said, “Nice job making it on TNT!”

I laughed and said, “Yeah, right, that would be nice.”

To which he responded emphatically, “No I’m serious, they just showed your tweet!”

I of course had no idea which tweet he was referring to.  At the same time, while he was talking to me, I could hear my phone blowing up with messages, as I held it to my ear.

All I can say is, thank goodness for the DVR!

The funniest thing to me is how worked up Charles Barkley got and he was actually agreeing with me, even if he didn’t know it!

“Well you’re wrong Kevin Eller! (Shaq in the background “Kenny, Kenny, Kenny…Kenny Eller, haha”) OKC is going to win tonight!  The Thunders going to win tonight!”

Chuck and I were both right on that night.  OKC did win (Though KD didn’t come close to 53, haha)!

The odds of the TNT staff picking my random tweet out of the millons of tweets being sent are obviously extremely slim.

To me, it is just further proof that I’m on the right track!

me vs. MJ…the sometimes you get on the NBA on TNT journey continues!!!  As always, thank you for following along!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

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If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

How many perfect moments happen in life?

How many times do find yourself in those perfect situations, that go like this.

You’re a great shooter, the very best on the court, and the defense leaves you wide open on the wing.

or (for those non hoopers)

You and the girl/guy you’d love to talk to/date/marry just happen to be at the same place, at the same time, and there is no one around to interrupt you.

Those are just two examples, but If you’re really a great shooter and the person you’re pursuing is thought to be attractive by you, chances are neither of you will be left alone for very long.

So what do you do?

The Jordan Fadeaway

No coach in the world will tell you that taking a fadeaway jumper from 15 feet is a good shot unless your first name is Michael and your last name is Jordan.

Seeing MJ play in person multiple times, the degree of difficulty of said fadeaway was only magnified.

I would sit there in disbelief at how he contorted his body, leaning back so far at times that his shoulder blades seemed to run parallel with the floor.  Then with a flick of the wrist, the ball would more times than not finds its way safely to its home.

How many fadeaways did Jordan take in practice sessions before it became an unstoppable, go to move?

Surely thousands upon thousands.

A Trailblazer

Back in the late 90s, as a high school kid, my brother figured out something that very few ever learn and hardly any are ever taught.

He understood then, when he would go 42-of-50 from 3 pt land, that making 43 or 44 or even 50 would only give a marginal increase in percentages shooting the ball in the perfect situation.

He also understood that during the course of any game he might get three or four of those perfect situations at most.

So he asked the question most never will, why spend hours practicing for the perfect moment?

And hours upon hours he would spend.

During the summer after his sophomore year of high school, he’d routinely take 4,000-5,000 jumpers a week.

However, a nice slice of those were off the move or with his feet in weird positions.

He taught himself to makes shots under distress by preparing for the imperfect moments of the game.

He’d routinely stagger his feet the exact opposite way they should be, by placing his left foot far in front of his right foot and pull up for one jumper after the other.

He’d also spread his feet to uncomfortable widths and repeat over and over.

Keep in mind we were both self taught.  When the 90s were the freshest thing out, we wore out the rewind and play buttons on the VCR trying to learn the game we loved.  We came up before the days of Impact Basketball and Orlando Hoops training.

My brother was ahead of his time…make that IS ahead of his time.  I still don’t know anyone teaching this.

It’s unorthodox to say the least.

I don’t even do it myself despite his constant encouragement to do so.

He always tells me, “You don’t need to practice spot up shooting anymore.  You need to practice everything off the move.”

He usually continues with, ” we’ve made so many shots in our life, that we will always be the best shooters, at most any court, even if we don’t practice.”

In the context of most city courts, that is a very true statement.

Move Association

The Fadeaway, Killer Crossover, Dream Shake, Sky Hook.

If you’re a basketball junkie, then surely images of Jordan, Tim Hardaway, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, just caressed your memory.

They took something that most coaches, before them, would frown upon and made it something they feared and coveted.  

Through hard work Jordan, Hardaway, Olajuwon and Abdul Jabbar made the imperfect…perfect for them.

When Being Great at Something Isn’t Enough

Innovators who put thought to action have shaped, molded and changed our world since the beginning.

They’ve never just accepted the norm.  They pushed beyond it.

The asked why or rather, why not, and then offered a solution.

I’ve always wondered what the dialogue was like when Michael Jordan went to Phil Jackson and told him that he wanted to post up?  Sure more guards start in the post now, but then, it was very much big man land.  How did Phil not think, you’re freakin’ Michael Jordan, just Michael Jordan whoever’s guarding you and let’s let the big guys play the post.  Who knows, maybe Phil did push back at the idea.  Maybe MJ insisted.

He changed the game.

I believe we all innovate, but just a handful actually see it through.  The majority stop when the realization that success requires the innovator to get their hands dirty.  The majority fall back into what is comfortable and that’s why you only see one person doing the fadeaway efficiently (Kobe), and none doing the “dream shake” or sky hook.

God doesn’t make great shooters and legendary moves

If we’re talking just wide open shooting alone in a gym, there is no doubt in my mind that I can outshoot huge NBA names like LeBron James, John Wall, Dwight Howard and on and on and on.  (Due to my physical limitations, obviously that wouldn’t translate to NBA games or playing them one on one, but just the art of shooting the ball, I’ve got them.)

Making shots is something I’ve worked on my whole life.  It has more to do with the fact that I can’t do what James, Wall and Howard can do, than anything else.  And the reason they can’t shoot the ball like me, is because they can do what they do.

God blessed them with physical abilities and size.

But God doesn’t make great shooters and legendary moves.

Now I’m not saying those guys don’t work – so save the hate comments.  But there is a reason LeBron isn’t killing people in the post.  There is a reason Wall isn’t killing teams with jumpers.  There is a reason Dwight can’t make a 12-15 footer and shot 49% from the free throw line this year (and it’s not big hands or his height – all you excuse makers need to give that one up [see Dirk]).  There is also a reason all I can do well is shoot.

We fall back into what is comfortable.  We fear failure and yearn for success, so we do what has got us to wherever we are.

When I go to the gym I practice shooting.  I don’t work on moves off the dribble or going to the basket hard.  I try to get better at what I already do well because every time that ball swishes through the net, I’m getting positive reinforcement to do another.

I love watching LeBron, John and Dwight.  I love what they’re able to do on the court.  They routinely leave me in disbelief.  But imagine IF LeBron worked on his footwork and post moves.  Imagine IF LeBron, John, and Dwight could shoot the ball as well as me.

Against 90 percent of the teams/players they face, they will have their way, but the other 10 percent is the problem because that is where champions are found.  It’s a somewhat similar tale for me on a much different level of course.  Against everyday people like myself, my ability to make shots is almost unstoppable, until I face a higher level of competition (see the people I’ve played for this site*) or someone who just knows my game extremely well (see my brother).

The difference between them and me is that it’s not physical limitations keeping them from getting better, it’s a lot of hard work at something God didn’t give them.

The legendary ones are just as gifted as the above mentioned, but they chose to focus on the weakness rather than the strength.

They chose to create a solution before there was a problem.

Michael Jordan wanted to be prepared for any and everything the defense threw his way and he was, maybe not a first, but over time for sure.

That’s why he’s the greatest. 

Time for Change – me vs. the Pros

I’m not getting any younger.  Later this month, I’ll be every bit of 35.  Still young by life standards, but in the basketball world, well not even Kobe is moving the same these days (still elite though).

I’ve spent my entire basketball life working on making a high percentage of shots in the perfect situation.

I know I can shoot the ball well.  Pros know I can shoot the ball well.  Mark Cuban knows I can shoot the ball well.

That’s kind of the blessing and the problem at this point.

It’s too predictable.

It’s time to try something new.  It’s time for change.  It’s time to prepare for the imperfect moments.

How I’ll Prepare for the Imperfect Moments

“I always wanted to be comfortable in any situation.  Playing against bigger or quicker guys doesn’t always afford you an open look.  You gotta make an open look.  Shooting at unexpected times or with imperfect foot positioning makes you unpredictable.  From there what used to be predictable (spot ups) become second guesses for the defender.  Taking the defense off guard creates chaos in love and war.  I want them to panic when their best doesn’t stop me.  I want them to know it’s over before the score says so.  Your jump shot won’t leave you.  It’s just looking to grow.” – Bob Eller

So with that said, over the next month, I plan on introducing the following to my workouts to see what effect it will have on my game.

• Shooting with my feet in weird/uncomfortable positions
• Shooting at least 50% of my attempts off the move
• Working on my floater (both hands)

Will it make the difference against the pros?  Am I just over matched?

Time will tell, but it’s worth the work to find out.

**Please note that I only support the foot positioning drills once a firm foundation of excellence in shooting has been established.

What Will You Do?

So that’s what I’m off to do.

How about you?  What are you doing to make yourself more prepared for those imperfect moments in life?  Are you focusing on improving upon a weakness like Michael Jordan did often in his career or will you just continue lowering your head and running to the basket until father time catches up with you?

Share your story of success or struggle in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you.

me vs. MJ…the journey continues.  As always, thank you so very much for following along.

And remember ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE with FAITH and HARD WORK!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

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If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 months since my last mevsMJ.com 1-on-1 match-up.  If you’ve been following this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan since the beginning, you know that the lack of 1-on-1 games isn’t due to a deficiency in effort on my part.

I’ll play anyone, anywhere.

I’ve had games that were going to happen, fall through and either been told no or brushed aside by more than 10 current NBA players.  It’s been extremely tough to get guys to commit to hoop, to say the least.

Maybe I just look like I’m a baller!?

Baller jokes aside, when I got the call from my friend Sean saying that he had someone that would play me, I was more than excited to get out there and do my best.

DJ Ferguson – My Opponent

This past Tuesday, I made my way over to the RDV Sportsplex in Orlando to play DJ Ferguson, the starting point guard of the IBL’s Orlando Venom.

During his junior season at Flagler college he averaged 11 points and led the entire nation in assists at over 9 per game.  He came back in 2010-2011, his senior year, and once again led the country in assists with over 9 dimes a game while averaging just over 10 points.

Before I get into my takeaways from the games, check out the video of our match-up below.

Me vs. DJ Ferguson (Video): 

httpvh://youtu.be/PMpeRQiFuGc

[Video Link]

Playing Pros (The Recap) 

The short of it, DJ Ferguson is just better than me at the game of hoops.

He’s quicker, stronger, younger (22), and most importantly farrrrrr more skilled.  As I’ve said in the past, there is a reason people get scholarships to play basketball and an even greater reason they get paid to play.

Overall, I was happy with my performance in Game 1.  From the opening play, DJ took me out of my comfort zone, which is shooting threes and forced me to create off the dribble.

In Game 2, we both started out shooting the ball poorly and before I could ever get out of my slump, DJ caught fire and beat me soundly.  Definitely one of my worst shooting performances in recent memory, but that was due mostly to his defense.

 Before I Win, I Must Lose and Through Each Loss, I Truly Win

So another three losses dealt to me by a pro (played a third game, not on video and lost that 15-4 too).

Doubters and haters may wonder, why would you want to posts videos of you losing all these games??

It’s simple.  Before I win, I must lose and through each loss, I truly win.

Being pushed excites me.

It makes me better.

In the past two weeks, I’ve beaten other players on my “regular guy” scale 15-3 and 15-0.  The first, a junior in high school and a current “player to watch” in the area according the local papers.  The second, a 26 yr old hooper with plenty of game, who has been trading games back and forth with me since that shutout loss.

Truth – Most recreational players aren’t conditioned or skilled enough to force me out of my comfort zone.  I do what I do, win or lose.  If my shot is falling and more times than not it is, I do favorably well.

Professional players figure out in 3 seconds what I want to do and then do their best to take it away.  Since we’re all friends here, I prefer to create space to get my three point shot off.  I honestly don’t feel many people can make shots like me.  Others have called the three pointer, my lay-up.

A pro, like DJ Ferguson, within a few plays knows where I like to bring the ball up during my shot, what I want to do and then forces me to do something else.  Basically, pros say, ok go ahead and try to take me to the basket 15 times…I’m not letting you shoot.

I LOVE IT!

Success: The Grown Up Version of Struggle

Success is measured many different ways, but one constant is that success is truly the grown up version of struggle.

DJ may have won based upon the score of the games, but I too felt like a winner because he gave me the opportunity to compete against him and get better.  For that I am extremely thankful.  I picked up some pointers, watched how he created space with his dribble and ball fakes and all of that will make me more prepared against the next person I face.

In life, if you’re afraid to fail, you’re never going to win.

I’ll leave you with how I explained it to a friend of mine when he asked how the games went:

I said, “He took it to me.  At the end of the day he’s just the better player.  But on a Tuesday, at nearly 35 years old, I got to lace up my Jordans and give my all against someone who gets paid to play ball.  I had a blast!  Such a blessing!”

I encourage you all to take a step towards your dreams.  I think you will find that even in the losses, you will feel like a champion!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!

Thank You DJ Ferguson

Mad shout out to DJ for taking time out of his training schedule to play me.  If I could bro, I’d still be on that court trying to get a win, haha!

All the best this upcoming season with the Venom!  I look forward to coming out and showing some support!

**Also want to give a special thanks to Sean LeBlanc for setting up the game for me with DJ and Ryan Boodram for shooting the video.  Appreciate you guys!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

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If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

-Dallas, TX (March 1, 2012)

In short, this is kind of how I imagined my time in the Shark Tank with Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Forbes current resident of spot #546 on the list of the World’s Billionaires, going in the weeks leading up to our lunch meeting.

“Kenny, I absolutely LOVE what you’re doing at mevsMJ.com!  After lunch, let’s go shoot some hoops, and while we’re on our way to the American Airlines Center, I’ll call Michael (as in Michael Jordan) and get something set up so you guys can play!  In the meantime, tomorrow you can play Dirk and maybe JT (Jason Terry)!”

In between all of that, there would have been great food and friendly banter.  We would exchange contact information and in the end, I would have the unwavering support of one of the most influential individuals on this green and blue marble we call home.

Overly optimistic?  Perhaps.

But if I were writing this story, my time with Mark Cuban would have been the chapter where the dream of playing hoops with Michael Jordan became a reality.  The time where it was proven that with faith and hard work, all things are possible!

This journey of mine to play basketball with MJ however, is no Hollywood creation.  My meeting with Mr. Cuban didn’t include an underlying section of inspirational music placed there to make your eyes leak.

Instead, it was 100% real.

It was uncensored, eye opening, thought challenging, inspiring and so much more than I ever expected.

Here are a few of the stories from our time together.

*I will in no way fully capture the moments that I do share, but honestly that’s on purpose, so I apologize ahead of time.  Unexpectedly, a lot of what happened was so personal, that I’m just not willing to share.  Still, I feel it’s important to offer some sort of update to all those that support me.  I appreciate you all!

“Oh yeah, I know about your site!”

After some initial greetings and conversation, I began telling Mark about this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan.

Within moments, he responded, “Oh yeah, I know about your site!  You’ve played the guy that played in Brazil, the 6’4″ guy at VT, the tall high school kid…”

To which I interjected, in an almost shocked tone, “Yeah!”

We spoke more in depth about my journey, why it began, where I currently am in the process and there was no doubt that Mark Cuban had a firm grasp on what I was looking to accomplish.

I was amazed that he, himself, had been to the site and knew so much about it!

He even shared that he had attended the Senior Flight School (the Jordan camp I was going to attend before it was canceled last year) twice himself!

Challenge, Resistance & a Solution

Mark then went on to challenge nearly every aspect of this journey, offering more resistance to the idea than I could have ever imagined.

For what seemed like an eternity, he spoke with brutal honesty on every reason that he felt my game with MJ wouldn’t happen.

I pressed back, offering my own rebuttals to each issue, but his mind had been made up.

Then he offered a solution for me to get the game with Jordan.  He broke it down, detailing exactly what he would do and while I won’t share at this time what that discussion entailed, I will say, it made a lot of sense!

A First Bump and a Nice Video!

Weeks prior to my get together with Mark, I had been working on two pieces for our lunch meeting.

Keep in mind, I had no idea exactly how much time he would have, so I had a marketing piece and video created, just in case our meeting was cut short.

The marketing piece was the mastermind of my buddy, who runs a marketing company here in Orlando.  The idea was to take Mark down memory lane, from the very beginning to several key points in his life.  This was to be achieved through the use of a custom folder with a cutout section in the front.  Behind the front cover was a wheel, which had a picture and a word associated with each photo.  As the wheel was turned, the picture would capture something pivotal in Mark’s life and the word would then sum it up.  The final picture was a QR code linking back to a special video and message on my site exclusively for Mark, with the words “My Dream”.

After reading through Mark’s book several times, I made the selections on what I wanted to cover (powdered milk, fluffy towels, American Airlines, Bobby Knight (Indiana Basketball), and him holding the NBA Championship trophy) and the piece was put together.

Mark loved it!  A huge smile came over his face as he made each turn of the wheel, stopping after just the second turn to give me a fist bump and say, “Thank you so much for this, it’s great!”

As he worked his way through the piece we spoke briefly on each section, until he got to the QR code, which prompted him to say with a big smile, “Oh, nice!  Very smart!  You’ve got my interest piqued, so now I have to scan the code and check it out.  I like it!”

I then asked him, if he had another minute to watch the video I had produced.

He said, “Sure, absolutely!” and I handed him my iPad with the video shown below cued up.

httpvh://youtu.be/gZnpgqrKNWo

[Video Link]

While I’m currently working with another friend on a video series for this site (more on this soon), I wanted to debut the first one in the series exclusively to Mark.

The idea came to me one afternoon and I recorded the audio on my iPhone and sent it over to my buddy.  He then took it from there and put together what you see above, which I’m so proud of!

“Nice video!  Man I was waiting to see you play some!  Who did this for you??” came from what I took as a somewhat impressed Mr. Cuban.

Nice Stroke!  (+ some coaching from an NBA owner)

I then pulled up the video of me going 22 of 24 from 3pt land on my cell phone and handed that over to Mark.

He watched over three and a half minutes of the nearly four minute video, saying within moments, “You’ve got a nice stroke!”

He then identified what he perceived as a weakness (can’t tell you what that is, because MJ is probably reading this, haha), which had never been pointed out to me before.

I sat there thinking, this is crazy!  I have Mark Cuban watching me play hoops and critiquing my play!  The thing is, he was absolutely correct and I’ve already begun working on correcting the issue!  So surreal!

“As well as it could have without me setting up the game with Michael.”

With the lunch winding down, Mark said something to the effect of, “Well, I hope you’ve gotten what you wanted out of the time.”

With a smile, I said, “Well, yeah…”

To which he responded, “Let me guess, it’s gone as well as it could have without me setting up the game with Michael.”

I laughed and said, “Exactly!”

An Email from Mark and Tickets to the Game!

After finding out that we’d (myself and my buddy Karol) be in town through the weekend, Mark said he’d hook us up with tickets for Saturday night’s game!

I responded with, “Really?  That’s awesome!”

He confirmed, “Sure, not a problem.  Just email me!”

A bit baffled, I questioned, “Just email you?”

He said, “Yeah, just email me.”

Later that night, hours after the lunch had come to a close, I sent him a quick email thanking him again for his time and for the tickets.

Within five minutes, he responded back, confirming the tickets and closed his email with something that made me laugh.

He said, “Enjoy the game guys, and No asking any of the players to play 1-on-1!”

This is what I saw when I showed my ID at will call.

(The seats were floor seats!)

An Over 2 Hour Lunch with Mark Cuban

In the over two hours that Karol and I spent with Mark, we discussed everything from hoops to dancing with the stars and everything else in between.

I challenged him to a push-up contest, shooting contest, we invited ourselves on his upcoming trips, asked if he wanted to play some hoops and of course asked if he would call or put in a good word for me with MJ.

He took it all in stride.

While we were unsure of how much time we would have with Mr. Cuban (the charity had said up to 75 minutes), we were both blown away at his unrushed willingness to hang out and talk about any and everything.

Once we realized how long he had been with us (over two hours), we both thanked him for spending so much of his time with us, to which he responded, “Not a problem.  I like you guys.  If I didn’t, I would have been out of here in 10 minutes!”

After lunch, he walked us out to our car, took a picture and was on his way.

As he walked away, I yelled out, “Don’t forget to scan that QR code!”

To which he quipped, “Uh, huh!”

Great times for sure!

The Journey Continues!

So there was no call to MJ.  No game has been set up.

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Mark Cuban, including his challenging of what I’m looking to accomplish.

The great thing with being challenged is that it strips away everything and leaves you with the pureness of what the journey is all about.

I’m proud of how I handled myself and while I can’t read Mr. Cuban’s mind, I feel he was impressed as well.

I put forth effort in preparation, just as I have on this journey, and did all I could do to make the most of the opportunity.  I think he knows that.

I learned, was inspired, and truly had a great time.

Hopefully he did as well.  (Yes, Mr. Cuban, we can hang at the end of the month when the Mavs play in Orlando. ;-))

I WILL play Michael Jordan!

This past Tuesday I was back to training, back to making new connections, still hopeful that someone will be willing to help me prove that ALL things are possible with Faith and Hard Work.

I will play MJ.  I’m determined to succeed.

I must admit the depth of this journey has far exceeded my expectations.

Mark Cuban last week…what is coming next?  Only time will tell!

me vs MJ…the journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

PS:  Mark, I look forward to seeing you at the game WHEN I play MJ (even if I have to make what we discussed happen, haha)! – Thank you again! – Yes, I know you’re reading this!

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Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

####

If you’re new to the site, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!