One of the biggest names in the sporting world, Michael Jordan captured the imagination of millions with his one-of-a-kind skill set on the hardwood. Nonetheless, the Bulls legend was a student of the game, constantly striving to be better, keeping the core fundamentals of basketball as his foundation.
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It’s been close to two decades since His Airness hung his boots, but there hasn’t been any player with an aura similar to MJ. It won’t be wrong to call Jordan a once-in-a-lifetime attraction, given his legacy, both on and off the court. Though there are many factors that one could contribute to his being an all-time great, the six-time champion had a rather unusual take on the matter.
Though one could constitute Jordan’s scoring prowess, competitiveness, and freakish athleticism to his success, the Bulls superstar believed he had another x-factor. According to His Airness, he was one of the most coachable players, constantly hungry to learn.
During his 15 seasons in the NBA, MJ enjoyed most of his success donning the Bulls uniform. During his stint in Chicago, the six-time Finals MVP mastered winning both individually and collectively under the guidance of Doug Collins and Phil Jackson.
Michael Jordan reveals the secret recipe to his success.
While Jordan’s resume boasts six titles, six Finals MVPs, six MVPs, ten scoring titles, DPOY, fourteen All-Star selections, eleven All-NBA selections, and nine All-Defensive selections, among many other accolades, the Bulls legend regards his ability to be coached as a differentiator.
Michael Jordan was once asked what he thought his best skill was.
He didn’t say it was his ability to dunk from the free throw line or his scoring ability.
His answer: “I was coachable. I was a sponge and aggressive to learn.”
The easier you are to lead, the further you’ll go. pic.twitter.com/0S4hg4QBRV
— Ball is Psych (@BallisPsych) December 1, 2022
During his initial years in the league, Jordan found a great mentor and coach in Doug Collins, who helped the former North Carolina player play to his gallery of skill sets. At the time, the former ROTY would put the league on notice with his highlight dunks and elite scoring.
However, Coach Collins couldn’t see the bigger picture keeping MJ in mind failing to win on the big stages. The veteran coach was criticized for his myopic vision that only focused on His Airness, something he would regret later.
On this day in 1989, Michael Jordan hit a series-winning buzzer-beater to defeat the Cavaliers in Game 5 of their first-round series.
“That was get the ball to Michael, everybody get the fu** out of the way,” said head coach Doug Collins. 🐐 pic.twitter.com/YwAy5E7GQK
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) May 7, 2022
Collins failed to see anything past MJ, even if it were budding talents in Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Thus ultimately leading to the former Sixers player-turned-coach being fired in 1989.
The era of Phil Jackson.
While initially hesitant towards the coaching style of the Zen Master, MJ understood the bigger picture, and the rest was history.
“I wasn’t a Phil Jackson fan when he first came in. He wanted to take the ball out of my hands. Doug Collins put the ball in my hands.”
– Michael Jordan on the Bulls hiring the Zen Master pic.twitter.com/YRLG0kJqZd
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) September 17, 2021
Under Coach Jackson, MJ and the Bulls would catapult themselves to the top of the NBA heap. At the time, His Airness would find a superstar teammate in Pippen, who would establish himself as a top 75 player of all time.
Thus hadn’t it been for MJ’s ability to change his style of play under Coach Jackson, we would have been robbed of one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.
