Unlike Kobe Bryant’s Fear Of Dog Poop, Michael Jordan’s Phobia of Swimming Stems From Childhood Tragedy

Michael Jordan is often looked at as the fearless leader of the Chicago Bulls from 1984-1998. He was labelled a tyrant by a few of his own teammates and while they did understand why he was as intense as he was, they did prefer for him to be a bit more mellowed out at times. So, it must’ve come to a shock to the rest of the world when MJ admitted to having a serious phobia in his life that he hasn’t recovered from as of yet.

Jordan grew wanting to be an athlete. He had an affinity towards both basketball and baseball. The latter of those was because his father, James Jordan, was a big fan of the MLB. The biggest reason for why Jordan left the NBA to pursue a career in baseball after the untimely passing of his father was because James always wanted him to.

However, there was another athletic activity that Michael enjoyed in his youth. That is of course, until tragedy struck.

Michael Jordan on why he has a phobia of swimming

Kobe Bryant’s fear and pure hatred for dog poop is nothing compared to his mentor’s disdain and phobia for large bodies of water and in turn, swimming.

Michael Jordan was merely 8 years old when he lost a close friend of his due to an accidental drowning. MJ revealed what had taken place in an interview with Playboy in 1992 as he talked about how his friend nearly took him underwater with him.

“The current was so strong that it took him under and he locked up on me. It’s called a death lock,” said MJ. “I almost had to break his hand or he was going to take me with him.”

When asked if he had saved his friend, Michael responded, “No, he died.” This was the end of his ‘relationship’ with water as he admitted to only ever hitting the seas if he was on a large boat and if life jackets were readily available.

Michael Jordan was afraid of one man

Michael Jordan built an undeniable legacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during his 3 years there. He made the game-winning shot as a freshman in 1982 and became a UC legend right off the bat.

The man who recruited Jordan to the university was Dean Smith. Smith was the one who suggested to Michael that he skip his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft in 1984. However, Michael also revealed once that Dean, a man he considered a father figure of sorts, was also the only man he feared.