Basketball

“Michael Jordan preferred playing for UNC”: When MJ confessed that his NBA stardom prevented him from fully enjoying his time with the Chicago Bulls

Tonoy Sengupta
|PublishedMar 05, 2021

"Michael Jordan preferred playing for UNC": When MJ confessed that his NBA stardom prevented him from fully enjoying his time with the Chicago Bulls

February 18, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan with Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss and Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer during the 2018 NBA All Star Game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Jordan once made a startling admission about college basketball and how much he liked turning out for the Tar Heels.

We all know Michael Jordan as the greatest player to ever grace an NBA court. Calling his career an illustrious one would be an understatement of the highest order, to say the least. Jordan is a 6-time NBA champion, a 5-time MVP, and a 14 time All-Star. To this day, there are few that can even hold a candle to his career.

The NBA has never been an easy stage to perform on. Asking that of any 19-year-old in itself is a bit of a reach. But when you stop to consider the weight of the expectations that Jordan had on his back from day one, it almost seems obvious that the sport wouldn’t quite be the same to him anymore.

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But, despite all these achievements, Michael Jordan has recently come out with an outlandish admission, that has boggled the minds of many NBA fans. Let’s get into it.

Michael Jordan admits playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels was far more enjoyable than the NBA

During an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Michael Jordan was asked where he enjoyed playing basketball the most. After taking a moment, this is what he had to say in response:

“I would say it was for the Tar Heels. No one knew me until then. That’s when the notoriety and everything began with Michael Jordan. By the time I got to Chicago, I was drafted three, so everybody knew I was at least decent.”

He further went on to talk about the hype that surrounded him in the NBA, and the pressure that came along with it. And the more he spoke, the more his statement really makes sense.

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As Michael Jordan said, he wasn’t close to as well known during his collegiate career. During this time, he could focus on basketball with little noise or distractions. This most certainly went a long way in making it a far more comforting place for him.

We caught a glimpse into what his world used to be in the ‘Last Dance’ documentary. If the situation was that bad, who wouldn’t cherish the days they were unknown that little bit more?

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.