University of Michigan & Athletes Connected on Michigan’s campus, thank you for the rewarding night.
Our first #SameHere Sit-Down with Alliance Member Derek Anderson & he was awesome. His father left as a young child, mother left at 12, he came home to an empty house & worked his way to carve out an incredibly successful life for himself. Want to know why he rose above those & many other life challenges? Check out this story (microcosm of his work ethic & approach):
After tearing his second ACL, right as he was getting drafted into the NBA, he was called in to meet with Michael Jordan. MJ offered him to be the first athlete to wear his brand of sneakers. Why? Derek wasn’t even able to jump at the time given the injury.
But, MJ told him he had someone follow him the past few weeks, & he was told Derek always showed up on time for rehab, always put in 100% as he worked his way back. Jordan was interested in the character of the man to represent his brand, over just the athlete/talent. Amazing story. How he thrived. How he rose above challenges. His #SameHere Story.