Michael Jordan grew to a ridiculous 6’6″, but before he reached that height, he used to complain to his mother about not being tall enough.
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The Bulls legend has accomplished what NBA players dream of doing in his career. Six championships, six Finals MVP’s, five NBA MVP’s, an obvious Hall of Fame induction, and much more has cemented Jordan’s legacy as the greatest NBA player of all time.
So, why was his career so confusing? Well, he retired thrice in his career, to give you some context. If that sounds weird to you, that’s because it is. His first retirement was by far the most surprising as it came only nine years into his career, and he had just started to win at the highest level, coming off of his first threepeat.
Michael Jordan got some wise advice from his mother on how to grow up
Being tall is very important in the NBA, more than other sports. Of course, there have been great players in history who haven’t been the tallest of the tall, but an average height of 6’6″ tells you everything you need to.
In high school, Jordan wasn’t all that tall. When he was 15, Jordan measured in at 5’10” while his best friend LeRoy had shot all the way up to 6’4″. LeRoy made the varsity squad while Jordan didn’t
Jordan desperately wanted to be taller. He went up to his mother and complained, “Mom, I really want to be tall.” His mom had some hilarious advice for him.
“Go put salt in your shoes and pray,” she’d say. “He would tell me I was being silly, but I had to pacify him so I could finish dinner. Then his dad would walk in and he’d tell him he wanted to be tall. We’d say, ‘You have it in your heart. The tallness is within you. You can be as tall as you want to be in your thinking.'”
Perhaps because of salt, Jordan would grow five inches between his sophomore and junior years. Several NBA players have had massive growth spurts, and Jordan was one of them.
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