Darren Campbell’s Motivational “Originality”: Copying Michael Jordan’s Playbook
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Darren Campbell’s Motivational “Originality”: Copying Michael Jordan’s Playbook
In his newest motivational video, Darren Campbell’s speech echoes Michael Jordan’s iconic ad, almost word-for-word.

Darren Campbell recently shared a new motivational video with his community, laying out a narrative about resilience, grit, and dedication. But something didn’t quite sit right.

An anonymous tipper brought it to our attention that Darren’s speech wasn’t exactly “original”—it’s almost a word-for-word lift from a famous Michael Jordan ad. Yes, the same speech MJ used to inspire millions has been repurposed by Darren to preach about “brand-building” and hard work.

Here’s how the scripts line up:

Darren’s Version:

“Maybe it's my fault. Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn't...Maybe I led you to believe that brand building was a God-given talent and not something I work for every single day of my journey...Or maybe you're just making excuses.”

- Darren Campbell

Michael Jordan’s Original:

“Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I led you to believe it was easy when it wasn’t…Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a God-given gift and not something I worked for every single day of my life…Or maybe you’re just making excuses.”

- Michael Jordan

For someone who constantly talks about how success is all about the “right mindset” and putting in the hard work, it’s odd—ironic, even—to see Darren resorting to lifting someone else’s words instead of crafting his own. What happened to being authentic? What happened to originality in “brand building”?

Following the “Fiverr Approach” to Success?

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Darren take shortcuts. From outsourcing work to budget freelancers to pushing referral links and barely-there “mentorship,” his methods consistently prioritize cheap, fast results over genuine quality. Now, with this latest example of borrowing from a legend’s motivational playbook, it’s clear that originality and authenticity aren’t high on Darren’s priority list.

When it comes down to it, if the man selling you on “building a million-dollar brand” can’t even deliver an original motivational speech, what does that say about the actual substance of his training? Is he just “repackaging” success the way he suggests repackaging Alibaba products?

A Lack of Originality at the Core

Darren’s whole program pushes the idea of finding success by following his blueprint, his system, his “tried and tested” method. But if that system is simply a patchwork of borrowed ideas, motivational slogans, and outsourced work, then what are clients really paying for? True brand-building involves authenticity, innovation, and genuine value creation. Here, it feels more like clients are being sold a repackaged, diluted version of success, dressed up with buzzwords and borrowed motivation.

So, here’s the real question: if Darren Campbell has to copy someone else’s script to sound inspirational, is he the person to teach you how to build a successful, original brand? Or is he just relying on the same shortcuts he tells you to avoid?

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