“None of Them Really Mattered to Me Until I Met Michael Jordan”: Derek Jeter’s ‘Big Brother’ Once Left an MLB Veteran in Awe With His Presence

Fame is a flimsy thing to have, always fleeting. But once it’s established for good, it has its perks. Take Derek Jeter for instance. The former Yankees player defined an era during his time in Major League Baseball. With skills on the field and charm off of it, there was rarely anyone who didn’t end up loving him. He hung up his uniform in 2014, but the connections he made in his twenty-season career still stay with him today. People still can’t help but speak about The Captain with a smile on their faces.

Among his many connections, not to mention good friends, is Michael Jordan. Sometimes, to know one is to know the other. And this is how Jeter introduced the NBA legend to a rookie pro baseballer at the time, Joey Gathright. Who is still thankful for the conversation he got to have with Jordan because of Jeter.

Derek Jeter introduced Michael Jordan to Joey Gathright on his birthday

Everyone knows Jeter for his charming personality and humble nature. He’s the kind of guy that would help anyone out if possible. Gathright once gave an interview to Eddie Mata of Where Are They Now In Sports. After talking about his own career a bit, the conversation turned to the former Yank.

Jeter holds an annual golf tournament for his non-profit, the Turn 2 Foundation. Once, Gathright was invited and he got to meet Michael Jordan, who left him in complete awe. “I met every celebrity that anybody can ever think of and none of them really mattered to me until I met Michael Jordan…he gave me advice on just basically staying in the big leagues and working hard on staying there,” he told Mata.

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The former MLB pro continued, “Most of those guys, at that level, they know how to do things. And me being a rookie in 2004…whenever they tell you something, you have to listen.”

Jeter, golf, and Michael Jordan – a history

One a baseball legend, another an icon in basketball – both trying their hand at a completely different sport. The Jordan-Jeter duo has known each other for a very long time and they have a brotherly relationship. But there was once some rivalry involving the golf club. Jeter took up the sport after baseball wasn’t part of his daily life anymore. But Jordan had been playing it for years.

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Jeter’s competitive spirit took him far during his pro career, and he brought the same mindset to golf. If any of his friends were asked, they’d say Jeter is good. But it’s just that, Jordan is a little better. After all, he’s been playing it for years!