Michael Jordan Believed “He Had Screwed Up” Before Landing the Biggest Shot of His College Career

Before entering the NBA in 1984, Michael Jordan was a star guard at the University of North Carolina. He won the National Championship in his freshman year and even hit the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the final, the world’s first glimpse of his clutch gene, which became a staple of his game. 

While the famous jumper in the game’s dying seconds is now a part of Jordan’s lore, his former UNC teammate David Mann revealed that the Bulls icon was nervous about that shot. In Roland Lazenby’s memoir about Jordan called Micahel Jordan: The Life, he claimed that his teammate thought he’d messed up the play and gotten fortunate. Mann recalled,

“He said when he hit that last shot he really wasn’t sure if that was where Coach Smith wanted him. He was thinking he had screwed up. He told me he was a little confused about where he was supposed to be on that play. He happened to be open and he took the shot and made it.”

Jordan openly admitted to his teammate that he was confused about whether he had followed then-UNC Coach Dean Smith’s instructions. Furthermore, the six-time NBA champion had seemingly forgotten where he was supposed to be during that crucial moment.

March 29, 1982: Michael Jordan hits the game-winning jumper with 17 seconds left to lift North Carolina to a 63-62 win over Georgetown for the National Championship. pic.twitter.com/Y4sTA66uaf

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) March 30, 2024

Regardless, it worked out perfectly as James Worthy drew a double-team before passing the ball to guard Jimmy Black, who found an open Jordan. The freshman star, without hesitation, hit the shot to put UNC up by a point, helping them win the title and quickly becoming the most talked-about player in America.

Michael Jordan became an overnight sensation 

Entering the 1981 college basketball season, Jordan was a relatively unknown name. With Hall of Famer James Worthy leading the UNC Tar Heels, he didn’t have the chance to shine despite his best efforts.

But that NCAA title-clinching shot put Jordan on the map. Furthermore, it spelled the beginning of a meteoric ascent for the basketball legend. It also played a critical role in kickstarting Jordan’s lifelong journey with Nike.

According to Alex Convery, the screenplay writer for the MJ-based film Air, Nike representative Sonny Vaccaro watched that game-winning shot live. This influenced the marketing executive to ask Nike to make Jordan the face of the company’s basketball division. That shot changed the trajectory of the Bulls icon’s life but is still among the most underrated moments of his career.