Michael Jordan is often looked at as the epitome of perfection when it comes to players across NBA history. Whether it’s his pristine 6-0 record in the Finals or the fact that he snagged every single award that he could’ve while in the league; it’s easy to look at MJ and think of someone who put in an inordinate amount of work to perfect his craft. Well, seems as though he had one doubter in the stands at one point and it was his own father.
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The story of how Jordan did not his varsity basketball team in his freshman and sophomore year has been told on a variety of occasions. Him bouncing back from the disappointment of not having made the high school team goes to show just how resilient of a man he was even at that young of an age.
James Jordan believed Michael Jordan was lazy
Michael Jordan did an interview with Playboy in 1992 where he would open up about everything ranging from being a black man in America to his beef with Isiah Thomas. In between, he would talk about his upbringing and reveal that his father, James Jordan, believed Michael was the laziest of all of his children.
The interviewer would ask him if his father was right and he would respond by saying, “He doesn’t lie. He tried to change me, but it never worked. He couldn’t keep me from playing sports. I think my first job was in the eleventh grade and I quit after a week.”
Seems as though Jordan was just lazy to do things that he wasn’t invested in. basketball was something that he wanted to pursue both as a passion and as a career. Fast-forward 40 years and he’s built himself an empire by drowning himself in the sport.
Michael Jordan would go overboard at times
Michael Jordan was labelled a tyrant by a couple of his teammates with the Chicago Bulls due to just how strict he was during their practices. In reality, as revealed in the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries, Jordan just wanted his teammates to experience the heights that he’d reached.
Jordan’s passion for the game was on full display as he would even tear up thinking about just how drastic his measures were at times when it came to winning. While his teammates felt as though he was much too intense, they had the utmost respect for him. Rightfully so as he brought 6 championships to a city in 8 years.
