“Michael Jordan Is Going to Deny This, but He Cried…”: When Iconic Coach Bobby Knight Left MJ in Tears During 1984 Olympics

Michael Jordan is one of the more emotional superstars the NBA has come across, never afraid to taunt his opponents or energetically celebrate a win. With six championships and a laundry list of accolades to his name, MJ may have the greatest legacy of any basketball player ever. However, the legend wasn’t always at the top of the basketball world. According to his college teammate, Sam Perkins, Jordan was put in his place following a poor performance in the 1984 Olympics.

Legendary collegiate coach Bobby Knight was the leader of these amateur Olympians, and it’s been recalled, the late head coach was able to get to MJ like no one else had seen before. Knight was furious with the 21-year-old star following a six-turnover display in a win over West Germany. “You should be embarrassed by the way you played,” Knight screamed at Jordan, according to “Michael Jordan: The Life,” by Roland Lazenby. The reprimanding was reportedly enough to move Jordan to tears.

MJ’s running mate at North Carolina, Perkins, later confirmed the story in 2016. The 17-year NBA veteran was also on the Olympic team, so he was able to provide a first-person account of the situation. “He told Michael that’s the worst he ever played,” Perkins said in a radio interview. “Now, Michael’s going to deny this, but he cried…” 

While it may still be tough for the Bulls legend to admit more than 40 years later, Knight’s stern words lit a fire under Jordan, who soon became the team’s top player. He led the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game and was even able to get his coach back with a jab of his own.

How MJ responded after Knight yelled at him

Michael Jordan’s resilience was one of the key factors in his path to the NBA, as he always stood back up after being knocked down. In this case, MJ was able to prove his point to Knight in an indirect manner by leaving the no-nonsense coach a letter prior to the team’s Gold Medal game.

Placed directly in the middle of the locker room blackboard, written on a yellow sheet of paper from a legal pad, the note read, “Coach: Don’t worry. We’ve put up with too much s*** to lose now.”  The note proved to be a sign of things to come, as Jordan dropped 20 points in the USA’s 96-65 victory over Spain, giving MJ his first of two Olympic Gold Medals.

Knight later revealed that he always knew the note was from MJ, as the late coach immediately recognized his star’s handwriting. Knight didn’t acknowledge the note directly, instead simply reading his team up to play. Still, the coach claimed that he held on to the note long after the tournament ended, stating that he still had it in his 2002 book. Apparently, the whole experience was memorable for both Jordan and Bobby Knight.