Michael Jordan is considered one of the most competitive NBA players ever. His relentless drive to always be the best pushed him to compete and win everything that he was a part of. Years after his retirement from the league, a former coach during his time at the University of North Carolina explained what made Jordan special.
He then went on to explain what brought out the competitive spirit in Jordan and how he developed his attitude at a young age.
The UNC Coach was not kind to Michael Jordan
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In the newest episode of the Chin Music Podcast, the special guest was the legendary college coach, Roy Williams. They asked Williams what made Jordan special. He said Jordan was the best 6’4 high schooler he had ever seen.
Williams explained that his sheer physical abilities had already put him on a tier of his own. Williams credited it to Jordan’s body, his long arms, his jumping ability, and his shooting capabilities. But what made Jordan even better than all this was his mentality. He was vicious. He wanted to win every game he played.
When William talked to Jordan, he said that he wanted to be the best player ever in UNC history. Williams told Jordan that he had to work harder than everyone else. Williams quoted Jordan’s reply, “I worked as hard as everyone else“.
To this, Williams replied, “Oh, excuse me, I thought you said you wanted to be the best? There is no chance. With that attitude, you have no chance.”
MJ changed for the better with this
Two days later, after the strength and conditioning program by Williams finished, Jordan told him that he would never see anyone outwork him. As Jordan’s skill increased, so did his competitiveness.
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Williams agreed that he told the truth. He was with Jordan for his NCAA title, and Jordan was winning all the championships in the NBA. But no one ever came close to working harder than him. Even NBA legends like Andre Iguodala have commented that Jordan is the biggest competitor ever.
Williams then remembered Coach Dean Smith telling him about Tiger Woods. He said Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are two people who have the whole package. He always had competitiveness. Further, as Jordan grew older and started getting to the next stage, his competitiveness kept increasing with him.
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What do you think about Roy Williams’ methods and ethos of training? Let us know in the comments!