216 lbs Michael Jordan’s college girlfriend drowned and died causing his ‘aquaphobia’ to shoot up

Nithin Joseph | 29/07/2022
216 lbs Michael Jordan’s college girlfriend drowned and died causing his ‘aquaphobia’ to shoot up

Michael Jordan was a fearless competitor on the court. However, off the court, he has one thing that gives him nightmares, water!

If there is one word you can associate with Michael Jordan, it would be ‘winner’. The six-time NBA Champion not only epitomizes the word, but he also craves it.

MJ was and is still obsessed with winning, ever since he was a kid. He would compete with his brothers, friends, and classmates and from 1984 to 2003, grown men in the NBA.

Not only did His Airness win six rings, but he was also a former six-time Finals MVP, five-time regular season MVP, a DPOY and was the Rookie of the Year!

Also Read: Michael Jordan was almost lured in by a $25 million check from New York Knicks in 1996

One of the reasons for his high degree of success was Jordan’s fearlessness. However, there are things that even the GOAT himself was afraid of, like water.

Michael Jordan lost his girlfriend to drowning when he was in college, resulting in his fear of water

Every person has something on this earth that they are afraid of. For Michael Jordan, that fear is a crippling fear of water, also known as aquaphobia.

However, MJ wasn’t born with this fear. In fact, it was his childhood and adolescent experiences that embedded this fear deep in his mind. Jordan had three nightmarish experiences, all of which revolve around death.

As a child, his friend died while the two were playing in the ocean. A little later, Michael would have a near-death experience when he nearly drowned at baseball camp. Finally, when he was in college, his then-girlfriend passed away from drowning when she went back home during one of the breaks, resulting in his phobia!

Those are three harrowing experiences that no one should ever go through. Unfortunately, MJ did and now he steers clear of any water bodies.

Also Read: LeBron James’ efficiency on 24,537 shots when compared to Michael Jordan gives an insight on who the better scorer is

Post Edited By: Nithin Joseph
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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