Michael Jordan has won six Championships in the NBA throughout the course of 15 seasons. Jordan’s legacy and greatness as a basketball player were integral for the sport to become popular worldwide; and one of the aspects that defined Jordan’s career and made him so popular among the masses was his aerial acrobatics, which earned him the nickname ‘Air Jordan’.
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During his final NBA season in 2003, MJ sat down for a TNT interview with legendary college coach John Thompson, revealing some interesting aspects of his career and life. He also touched upon his insane work ethic and aerial acrobatics, which defined his game through the ’80s and the ’90s. However, contrary to many fans’ beliefs, MJ admitted to never practicing these skills before performing them on the court.
When coach Thompson asked whether Jordan ever prepared himself to perform the creativity he displayed on the court and the crazy game-winning shots he scored throughout his career, the 6x NBA champion promptly replied, “No, I never did.” Elaborating further, Jordan added, “Obviously, when you are a kid, you want to countdown 5,4,3,2,1 and take the game winning shot, yes. But I mean in terms of the creativeness, I think, you have seen it, you know it has happened in situations where the defense dictates what your reaction may be.”
“But then, once you do it once you know you have a gift or talent to create in any other situation, you try to alter and you try to change. But all it was with the expansion of Elgin Baylor, Dr. J, all the guys who have created before you. We love watching them so the vision’s here, it’s just the creativity expanded with my talent,” he added.
Indeed, players like Julius ‘Dr. J’ Irving and Elgin Baylor laid the foundation for Jordan to explore his creativity on the hardwood. His Airness has always regarded David Thompson as his idol, one of his inspirations behind his incredible aerial and acrobatic leaps on the court. Thompson also presented Jordan during his 2009 Hall of Fame induction, which very well explains why MJ holds these legends with such high regard to this day.
Michael Jordan cemented himself as a great with his incredible prowess
When the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan as the 3rd overall pick, they knew they had hit the jackpot. The then 18-year-old kid from North Carolina went on to break and create several individual records in basketball, some remaining unbeatable to this day.
For Jordan, his insane work ethic and competitive nature pushed him to become creative with his moves. Since his college days, he used to put an incredible amount of work behind closed doors, which essentially allowed him to become one of the most effective players around the rim and from the mid-range as well.
Indeed, this creativity and talent earned Jordan six NBA championships, five MVP titles, and one Defensive Player of the Year title in 1998. Throughout all of his six NBA Finals, Jordan emerged as the MVP, further cementing himself as arguably the greatest player of all time.
