Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time. He reached this status as a legend thanks to his hard work, his extreme levels of competitiveness, and his obsession with winning. However, things weren’t always like this for MJ. Before the fame and glory, Jordan was just a kid growing up in North Carolina, attempting to get into his high school’s varsity team. His lowest moment was when he got cut from the squad.
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Back in high school (as with his later days in the NBA), Michael’s competitiveness knew no bounds. As covered in an article with Sports Illustrated, even in his sophomore year, Jordan was competing for a place on varsity. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out, leaving him quite upset. Missing varsity was a huge blow for him and was the reason he went home and cried. But, it also didn’t help that his friend Leroy Smith made the team.
“In those days it was rare for sophomores to make varsity. Herring made one exception in 1978, one designed to remedy his team’s height disadvantage. This is part of the reason Mike Jordan went home and cried in his room after reading the two lists. It wasn’t just that his name was missing from the varsity roster. It was also that as he scanned the list he saw the name of another sophomore, one of his close friends, the 6’7″ Leroy Smith.”
Michael Jordan didn’t make the varsity team at his high school sophomore year — and it wasn’t like he was getting treated as the next guy up either #MJMondays pic.twitter.com/rwz1DRbp8I
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 22, 2018
Rather than curl up in a ball and continue crying, Jordan came back stronger. He fought for his place and went on to achieve amazing things, which is a testament to why he is undoubtedly a legend of the game.
The legend of Michael Jordan was born in UNC, raised in Chicago
Having grown up in North Carolina, Jordan received a full ride scholarship from the University of North Carolina, where he would go on to achieve great things as a student athlete. He was part of UNC’s 1982 NCAA title winning team, and his gameplay played a crucial part in him being drafted #3 overall in the 1984 NBA Draft.
What Jordan achieved with the Chicago Bulls will forever live on in fans’ memories, with ‘Black Jesus’ being responsible for all 6 banners that currently hang in the United Center. His 5 MVPs, 10 Scoring Titles, and the unassailable imprint left on the game all make him one of (if not the) best players of all time.
Even after retirement, Jordan continues to affect the NBA. His company Jordan Brand, has signature athletes throughout the NBA, and all 30 teams in the Association have Jordan Vrand logos incorporated into their jerseys.
Both his on-court and off-court achievements play a huge role in keeping the legend of Michael Jordan alive, even 20+ years after the great man’s retirement.
