“I Was Totally Afraid of Him!”: Billionaire Michael Jordan, Known for Making Opponents Quiver, Once Named the 1 Person Who Terrified Him

Nithin Joseph | 06/12/2022
"I Was Totally Afraid of Him!": Billionaire Michael Jordan, Known for Making Opponents Quiver, Once Named the 1 Person Who Terrified Him

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time. The man has achieved everything the world of basketball has to offer.

Six Championships, six Finals MVPs, five Finals MVPs, a DPOY, and an Olympic Gold medal. MJ has one heck of a resume.

The reason behind this is simply his fearlessness on the court. The man wasn’t afraid of anyone. No one could scare him except for one person, his college coach, the late great Dean Smith.

Also Read: “Kobe Bryant is No. 1, LeBron James No. 2”: Lakers’ Juan Toscano-Anderson Snubs Michael Jordan From His Top-5 All-time

Michael Jordan feared only one man in the world of basketball, coach Dean Smith of North Carolina

MJ is undoubtedly the GOAT of basketball. As things stand, no one has topped his achievements on the court. He is an exceptional talent whose performances have been fueled by his killer mentality and fearless personality.

However, there are a few people who have kept MJ in check over the years. His parents did a great job. But, in the basketball world, there was no one who put the Fear of God in Jordan more than his coach at North Carolina, the late great Dean Smith.

“I was totally afraid of Coach Smith because he was a big name in the state of North Carolina and I was this kid from a small city. I never even thought about calling him anything other than Coach Smith. It was intimidating the way he controlled practices. I have never seen practice controlled the way it was at North Carolina.”

Coach Smith was like a second father to Michael. He helped him grow into the legend he is today, and his passing was a blow to him.

MJ fondly remembers Dean Smith as his teacher, mentor, and second father

Dean Smith was an important figure in Michael Jordan’s life. As such, news of his passing was a devastating blow for him. After all, in his own words, Coach Smith was a teacher, mentor, and second father to him.

It is obvious that the two had a special relationship. Safe to say that Coach Smith is watching over MJ from up above.

Also Read: “Go home motherf**kers, go home!”: Michael Jordan Chose Profanity and Arrogance After Making ‘The Shot’ in 1989 

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Dean Smith Michael Jordan

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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