‘Beats Me to Death’: Coach Roy Williams Reveals His Golfing Rivalry with Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan had one of the best careers that an NBA player could ever dream of having. Jordan dominated the NBA for a long period of time with the Chicago Bulls. He also influenced the sneaker-crazy culture in the basketball world with the introduction of his ‘Air Jordans’. NBA fans often refer to Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time while debating about the best basketball players ever.

Jordan played for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he accepted a basketball scholarship in 1981. Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams was famously instrumental in recruiting Jordan. Trained by Williams, Jordan won the 1982 NCAA Championship title and made the game-winning jump shot against Georgetown. Roy Williams recently spoke about his friendly rivalry with Jordan on the golf course.

In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Williams revealed the details of this rivalry with his former student. Williams said, “I used to be able to beat him. He beats me to death right now. We have not played since I retired. Come on, I’ll have a chance to hopefully next spring after I have my second knee replaced.”

Michael Jordan remains one of the most dominant players in the game of basketball. He won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, turning them into a commanding dynasty during his active career. Jordan also maintains a reputation for being a big-game player. His six NBA Finals MVP and three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards evidence this fact.

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Michael Jordan’s promising potential during his college years

Roy Williams’ career as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina included a few Michael Jordan milestones. The ACC named Jordan as the ACC Freshman of the Year following his average of 13.4 points per game on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage). Jordan called his shot against Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Championship Final to win the game as the birth of Michael Jordan.

During the three seasons that Jordan spent at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting and tallied 5.0 RPG. The NCAA selected Jordan with unanimity to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his freshman (1983) and junior (1984) seasons.

He also won the prestigious Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984. Michael Jordan then subsequently entered the 1984 NBA draft and the rest, as they say, is history.

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