Legendary former College Basketball coach, Michael ‘Coach K’ Krzyzewski was one of several college coaches across the country looking to find a way to help Michael Jordan join their team. MJ eventually joined North Carolina University in 1981 but initially attracted interest from a range of other colleges. This includes Coach K’s Duke University as well, which seemed to have been rejected by MJ quickly into the process. After this, the coach even wrote a letter to MJ.
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While Coach K eventually got his chance to coach Jordan as the head coach of Team USA, he was visibly dejected by MJ’s decision regarding his college future.
In a letter that was sent by the coach to Michael Jordan, Krzyzewski can be seen explaining to MJ how he firmly believed he was going to make a huge impact wherever he went. Hence, while Coach K and Duke had been rejected by MJ in favor of other colleges which eventually resulted in him joining North Carolina, Jordan did make a huge impact. The letter was posted on Twitter recently by Hoops Herald.
“I am sorry to hear that you no longer have an interest in learning more about Duke University, however, I do want you to know that my staff and I wish you the very best in your college career,” Coach K wrote, before claiming that he was confident the youngster would go on to make a huge impact, regardless of which college he chose.
This letter from Coach K to Michael Jordan is tremendous pic.twitter.com/3KnvoZxV8k
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) December 27, 2023
“You are a fine young man and you should make an immediate impact on whatever you choose. Take care, and best of luck,” he said.
Jordan had already made a huge impact on coaches around the country, despite still only being a teenager. The player showed enough potential for even seasoned coaches like Michael Krzyzewski to realize exactly what they had on their hands. That sentiment seems to have traveled well via the heartwarming letter.
Coach K called Michael Jordan the best player he saw during his college career
Coach K was only required to look at MJ back in college to understand the kind of potential that the player showed. Speaking to Sports Illustrated in 2020, he revealed that MJ was easily the best college player he had seen, claiming that even Kobe just came close to having a similar mentality.
“He’s the best. He treated me with the ultimate class and dignity. We became friends during that time. He’s unbelievable. He controls his environment, whether it was on or off the court. A great player can create his or her own environment, if they do it the right way,” he said, claiming that MJ’s mentality made it easier for him to lead winning teams.
Coach K went on to conclude how he had already seen the potential all those years ago when he first saw Michael Jordan. While the two did not immediately work together, it is clear that they had utmost respect for each other and Krzyzewski would have been thrilled, had MJ chosen Duke instead of NC.
