When there are discussions about who fans, analysts, and even former players trust the most to deliver in the clutch, it comes as no surprise that most of them would pick Michael Jordan as their go-to guy.
Sure, there might be someone like Kobe Bryant , LeBron James or even Stephen Curry sprinkled in here and there. But there is no doubt that the majority would go with MJ in those tense, high-stakes situations. And who could blame them? The man won everything there is in basketball, and he did it in incredible fashion with plenty of swagger involved and iconic game-winners involved.
However, underneath all the clutchness of the six-time champ, there are careful layers of preparation, mental discipline and resilience that allowed him to consistently deliver when the lights were brightest.
"I believed every time out I was the best. And the more shots I hit, the more it reinforced that," Jordan said in 2019. "So, when you miss — because no matter how great you are, you will miss — you don't waver, because you've built yourself a nice little cushion of confidence. Now, we've seen plenty of guys go the other way. They miss one shot and they can't seem to ever make one. That's the kind of negative reinforcement that ruins guys."
Even the most outstanding superstars are, at the end of the day, only human, and they are expected to miss. That's where preparation comes into play. Jordan understood that big shots weren't simply a product of the moment; they were made possible by the habits and mindset long before the final buzzer sounded. That's how you build that "cushion" and strengthen the mental confidence to demand the ball when the game is on the line.
And yes, even His Airness — arguably the greatest player to ever pick up a basketball — missed. It may come as a surprise, but it's true. In fact, Jordan himself pointed to an example from his own career that could have shaken his confidence, but it didn't.
In Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers , Jordan missed a potential game-winner that would have capped off his first Finals appearance in storybook fashion.
"Now, if you thought about it, that was a pretty big miss," Michael added, recalling that moment. "It was my first-ever game in the Finals. I could have folded. But I had no trouble bouncing back because I knew it was a good shot. I didn't rush it or short-arm it or anything. I just missed it."
But in his signature fashion, MJ didn't dwell on the failure. He bounced back immediately and went on to dominate the series, averaging 31.2 points on a blistering 55.8 percent shooting. The Chicago Bulls beat the Lakers in five games, captured their first-ever championship and cemented Jordan as the face of the whole NBA, and a superstar never quite seen before.
On top of that, this sequence perfectly illustrated his point that one miss, even in such conditions, didn't define him. Heck, there is no doubt that His Airness used that miss to fuel his fire and come back even stronger in his first-ever Championship round. But that's rare, even for MJ's standards.
In Jordan's view, the reason some NBA stars are never considered clutch is that they fail to build the mental habits required to thrive under pressure. Many players allow a single mistake to snowball into a slump. Once doubt creeps in, it's over and it makes execution in those already stress-packed moments even harder.
The ability to shine in those situations, no matter what happened the play before, is what separates a legendary player from everyone else.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
