?He Threw Another Log on That Fire..?: Emotional Michael Jordan on Taking His Competitive Side to the Next Level With First Bulls Coach (2009)

NBA legend Michael Jordan grew up with four siblings. So, at a very young age, a fierce competitive spirit was imbibed in him. Jordan acknowledged this during his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009. He also stated that at different times of his career, people added fuel to his competitive fire. Kevin Loughery, his first coach at the Chicago Bulls, was one of them.

There were several moments during his speech when Jordan choked up. The moment was indeed overwhelming and Jordan embraced his emotions. But there was also the reoccurring theme of gratitude. Jordan was grateful to Kevin Loughery. Not just because he was Jordan’s first coach at the Chicago Bulls but also because Loughery, in Jordan’s words, “threw another log into that (competitive) fire.”?

Michael Jordan on Kevin Loughery’s impact

Michael Jordan narrated a method Loughery would use during practice. The entire team was spilt into two sides. Loughery would include Jordan in the team with starting five. The deal was that the team that lost would have to run. With the starting five, Jordan was the winning team.

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But here came the catch. Jordan said, “Halfway in the game, halfway in the situation, he would switch me to the losing team. So I take that as a competitive thing of you trying to test me.”?

Jordan claimed that most times, after the switch, the supposedly losing team would make a comeback and win. He was highly appreciative of Loughery for having given him such a challenge. He stated that Loughery provided him with a situation to build on that competitive fire.

Kevin Loughery on coaching a young Jordan

Kevin Loughery and Jordan worked together for just one year. This happened to be Jordan’s rookie year. On a radio show two years ago, Kevin Loughery spoke about the self-confidence Michael Jordan had. He claimed that on day one of the practice camp, Jordan had already become the leader of the team and no one had realized this. “But I knew we had a star who would be an All-Star in the NBA,” he added.

He stated that during the initial days when the team started to practice, no one doubted Jordan’s competitive spirit. Rather this was frustrating for the rest of the team. Loughery expressed that the team wasn’t always happy with Jordan’s competitiveness. This was because “he demanded that they play as hard as he played in every practice and every game.??

Jordan had incredible talent but it was also his attitude and work ethic that stood out. For Loughery, it was a delight to coach someone like Jordan. He said, “When you?ve got someone to kind of come out and compete and play hard every night, that?s the player you enjoy being around.”??

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