Basketball

“Michael Jordan modeled his game after a former Tar Heel”: Walter Davis reveals how MJ learned a few moves from him at UNC before playing with the Bulls

Tonoy Sengupta
|PublishedApr 10, 2021

"Michael Jordan modeled his game after a former Tar Heel": Walter Davis reveals how MJ learned a few moves from him at UNC before playing with the Bulls

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan reveals who he idolized and modeled his game after while he was honing his skills for the NBA.

To call Michael Jordan’s NBA career a successful one would be one of the biggest understatements of the century. During his time in the NBA, His Airness won 5 MVPs and 6 championships, and of course, so much more.

Due to the arguable goat’s greatness, countless players today idolized Jordan growing up, and why not? The former player had such a flashy and eye-catching game, just about everyone wanted to be like Mike.

But who did the great Michael Jordan model his own game after? Who inspired him before he inevitably inspired a generation?

Also Read: The Lakers legend may seem prickly on Inside the NBA, but he has a heart of gold

Michael Jordan reveals that he looked up to a fellow North Carolina Tar Heel before entering the NBA

Michael Jordan has seldom been found taking interviews after his playing career. But, during one such time, His Airness revealed he looked up to Walter Davis, modeling his game after the fellow former Tar Heel.

Davis was drafted fifth overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 1977 NBA Draft. In his 15 seasons, the former player racked up an impressive 6 All-Star appearances.

After hearing what Michael Jordan had said about him, Walter Davis said this during an interview with Basketball Network.

“It is humbling to hear him say that I was an influence on him growing up, that he was a fan of mine. But that is one of the things about the game of basketball, the way it gets passed on from one group to the next and how each generation influences the next.”

“I got tips from my brothers, their friends, so I tried to return the favor when I got back to Carolina. I showed Michael a couple of moves.”

“It’s fair to say that whatever Davis was able to teach served the Chicago legend well throughout his career. But, even he probably couldn’t have predicted how great Michael Jordan was throughout his career.

Also Read: When Scottie Pippen sided with the Lakers star in the GOAT debate

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.