‘How you do one thing is how you do everything’ – this became the success mantra for Michael Jordan during his playing days. Nothing has changed to this day, with the 6x champion continuing to find ways to channel his inner competitive nature. Dwight Freeney witnessed it firsthand on the golf course, leading to him being baffled by MJ’s endeavors.
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During his latest appearance on ‘All Facts No Brakes’, Freeney discussed Jordan’s sustained competitiveness. The former NFL star admitted to initially assuming that Black Jesus’ ability to pull off last-moment wonders had ended with the conclusion of his NBA career. Again, MJ shouldered the responsibility of proving his doubters wrong and as always, did so in typical Jordan fashion.
Highlighting the details, Freeney mentioned, “When you’re playing with him, all of a sudden, he’ll be 130 yards out and completely messes up his drive. He gotta make it now… and somehow, by miracle, he’ll make the shot from 130 yards and it will just roll right in. It’s absolutely insane how he just pulls those types of things out”.
In the past, similar stories, especially those surrounding golf courses, have come into the spotlight time and again. So, MJ’s nature of stretching the controllable aspects beyond their means has remained intact. It continues to exceed the expectations of his friends and associates, with Freeney being the latest example.
Charles Barkley had warned the world about Michael Jordan
Ahead of sharing the court with Jordan in the 1992 Olympics, Charles Barkley decided to play two rounds of golf with him. It was the moment when MJ’s drive to succeed in each of his endeavors became clearer to Chuck. Later on, it even prompted him to derive mixed conclusions about Jordan’s character.
Barkley looked back on the incident early last year during his appearance on TNT’s Steam Room. He reminisced about how the duo had joined David Robinson and then USA Team Head Coach Chuck Daily to play a round of golf. Despite having an Olympic game against Puerto Rico later that day, MJ went to play another round all by himself.
Assuming Jordan was tired, Daily adjusted his defensive strategy ahead of the basketball clash. He advised the 5x MVP to guard the opposition’s shooting guard. However, MJ insisted on guarding Puerto Rico’s point guard, allegedly stating, “He said some [expletive] about me in the newspaper and I’m going to get him”.
This left Barkley shell-shocked on the spot. Yet, in his mind, he realized, “Michael Jordan was crazy… Michael is the most competitive person I’ve ever been around in my life.”
More than three decades have passed since then. The narrative of all the stories surrounding Jordan has stayed more or less the same. This has only been possible because of MJ’s unwillingness to sacrifice his principles. No matter how insane those might seem to the masses, for the New York-born athlete, they paved the way for his success. So, the likelihood of him sticking to his methods for the rest of his life remained high.
