Former Golden State Warriors head coach Johnny Bach, looking back at his stint as the Chicago Bulls’ assistant coach, revealed an interesting aspect of Michael Jordan’s character. Bach, who worked with the Bulls from 1986 to 1994, stated in Roland Lazenby’s Michael Jordan: The Life, that MJ’s relentless competitive spirit went hand in hand with his ability to accommodate others, so much so that people around him often abused his kindness.
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Michael Jordan is usually described as a heartless tyrant, who could go to any lengths to get the best out of his teammates. However, Bach’s testimony highlighted a different side of the story.
“Jordan seemed to draw from the same vast emotional store that fueled his competitiveness, Bach recalled. “I felt that they [Bulls teammates] abused it. He was asked for so many things by so many people that he had to have been wearied by all of these requests,” the book revealed, claiming that Jordan was bound to feel weary with the sheer extent of issues that he had to deal with for other people.
Bach went on to talk about how Jordan still was always intent on doing his best to help others. He claimed that the kind of sacrifices MJ regularly made for other people was something he himself could not have made.
“I would have and did almost break down. He took pressures exceedingly well, whether it was the demand of the press, or the demand of the organization, or the demands of the game itself, basketball. He came out and did it more often than anyone else could do it,” Lazenby’s book further quotes Bach, revealing the sheer extent of effort that MJ put in for his teammates, the game of basketball, and the overall demands of being a Chicago Bulls player.
Bach’s account surely attests to Jordan’s claim that being ‘Michael Jordan’ was a daunting task. Even though many Bulls players had a contention with how MJ’s contributions behind the Bulls’ title runs were glorified in The Last Dance, there’s no denying that Jordan was the driving force behind the two three-peat teams. Apart from making sure that his team wins the marathon every year. Jordan used to give his best even during less important regular season games so that not even a single fan missed a chance to witness his wizardry on the court.
Michael Jordan once allowed a child to sit on the bench with him
Bach had made the above comments in response to a heartwarming story involving the Bulls icon. A child, who had previously been involved in a terrible fire-related accident, had once approached Jordan.
The kid wanted to sit with MJ on the Bulls’ bench, something MJ obviously did not have a problem with. However, various NBA officials did, and Jordan was only too willing to fight with them for the child.
“He just talked to him. You couldn’t imagine, a kid that was hideously burned. And Michael just talked to him. He put him on the bench, and during the game he would come over and ask, ‘How’d you like that jump shot?,” the book further revealed.
Hence, not only did MJ ensure that the kid was not removed, but he also walked over and chatted with him during the game multiple times.
