Michael Jordan is one of the greatest players of all time. The man has achieved everything the world of basketball has to offer.
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Six Championships, six Finals MVPs, five Finals MVPs, a DPOY, and an Olympic Gold medal. MJ has one heck of a resume.
The reason behind this is simply his fearlessness on the court. The man wasn’t afraid of anyone. No one could scare him except for one person, his college coach, the late great Dean Smith.
Michael Jordan feared only one man in the world of basketball, coach Dean Smith of North Carolina
MJ is undoubtedly the GOAT of basketball. As things stand, no one has topped his achievements on the court. He is an exceptional talent whose performances have been fueled by his killer mentality and fearless personality.
However, there are a few people who have kept MJ in check over the years. His parents did a great job. But, in the basketball world, there was no one who put the Fear of God in Jordan more than his coach at North Carolina, the late great Dean Smith.
“I was totally afraid of Coach Smith because he was a big name in the state of North Carolina and I was this kid from a small city. I never even thought about calling him anything other than Coach Smith. It was intimidating the way he controlled practices. I have never seen practice controlled the way it was at North Carolina.”
Coach Smith was like a second father to Michael. He helped him grow into the legend he is today, and his passing was a blow to him.
MJ fondly remembers Dean Smith as his teacher, mentor, and second father
Dean Smith was an important figure in Michael Jordan’s life. As such, news of his passing was a devastating blow for him. After all, in his own words, Coach Smith was a teacher, mentor, and second father to him.
It is obvious that the two had a special relationship. Safe to say that Coach Smith is watching over MJ from up above.
