Not everyone makes the team – there are only so many positions on the court. But putting forth the best skills and effort at try-outs is one of the reasons parents call the Basketball Goal Store.

If your child is nursing a bruised ego because he didn’t make the team and he’ll be on the outside looking in, here’s something that will lift everyone’s spirits. This is a true story, too, by the way… which makes the message have even more meaning.

Did you know that the famously talented Michael “Air” Jordan tried out as a high school sophomore for the varsity team? And didn’t make the cut? He was 5’11’ at the time and the coach considered Jordan to be too short for the varsity court.

So Jordon took his frustration out in the best way possible. He played his heart out on the junior varsity basketball team. In fact, he became the star player, scoring at least 40 points each game.

Of course, the varsity coach ate a lot of crow that season. To make the situation even more in his favor, Jordan grew four inches during the summer before his junior year. When the team was picked for the new school year, he was snatched up by the varsity team. As a senior, he averaged 29 points, 11.6 rebounds and 10 assists in every game.

Raised in Wilmington, NC, Jordan played for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels, helping them make the national championship winners of 1982.

By 1994, Jordan’s amazing talents on the court not only won him a spot with the Chicago Bulls, his abilities also helped make the NBA a global hit.

After taking at short retirement in 1993 from the NBA, Jordan returned a year later to play with his team. He stepped off the court again in 1999, again returning to play from 2001 to 2003, but this time, he wore a jersey for the Washington Wizards.

Jordan is now majority owner and head of operations for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.

He continues to be known around the world for his leaps for the ball and slam dunks at the basket. So tell your children to think about this story when they don’t get what they want. Tell them, “Don’t give up your goal. Start training during these winter months so when spring arrives, you can get back out there with your Goalrilla Basketball Goal and practice all you. And don’t forget to take your determination with you!”

-Pat of the Basketball Goal Store Blog Team