The NBA became familiar with Michael Jordan’s fierce competitiveness soon after he stepped onto the court in 1984. A year later, Hollywood actor Rob Lowe witnessed this aggressive nature firsthand while coaching MJ during Magic Johnson’s charity event. Nearly four decades later, he recalled the incident on The Tonight Show, giving the audience another glimpse of Jordan’s greatness.
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The incident occurred during Johnson’s 1985 Midsummer Night’s Magic charity game. This marked the first time he teamed up with MJ, while Lowe was tasked with coaching their team. Together, they faced a formidable roster coached by Arsenio Hall to entertain The Forum’s audience.
Lowe initially called a timeout merely to establish his presence as head coach. While his team used the timeout to recover and have a laugh, MJ made his intention of winning the game clear. This shifted the mood, making the rest of the roster, including Lowe, focused on securing a victory. The actor recently reminisced about this moment and said,
“Everybody is having a great time and I figured, ‘I got to insert myself into the game, at least be a part of it’… So I call the 20-second time out… Everybody’s laughing and carrying on… I look over at Jordan and he has got the shark eyes… He says, ‘Guys, are we gonna win this?’. And everybody just looks at Michael and goes, ‘Oh, so we are gonna do that now’… I’m like, ‘Yes, you’re gonna do that now'”.
As Lowe mentioned, Jordan’s persuading comments came in the crunch moments of the game. At this point, his team was likely trailing by a significant margin. Despite this, Jordan refused to give up, scoring 71 points while his team combined for 200. However, they ultimately fell short, as Hall’s side clinched the victory.
Despite the disappointing result, Lowe certainly remembered this moment for MJ. The latter’s leadership and determination to win at any cost left him stunned yet impressed. This also pointed to how seriously Jordan took winning in every aspect of his life, a fact he would later admit publicly.
Michael Jordan once explained his competitiveness
In an interview, Jordan once elaborated on his mindset as a defender. The 1988 DPOY admitted that his drive to never allow the opposition to outscore him motivated him to play tough defense. While expressing his thought process, he mentioned,
“I think a lot of my defense is because of my competitive nature is that I don’t want you to outscore me or I don’t want you to score a certain number of points on me”.
What Lowe witnessed that day was a glimpse into Jordan’s mentality. This mindset, over time, proved effective, contributing to his greatness and helping him win six championships. It soon became a blueprint for success in the NBA, with many trying to replicate it, but only a handful truly succeeding.
