“I See Things Before They Happen”: His Airness’ Michael Jordan Unveiled How He Used His Unreal Athleticism to His Advantage in 1997

Michael Jordan could fly. Well, not in the literal sense but he could stay up in the air for 0.92 seconds. This is more than the average human hangtime of 0.53 seconds. The world claimed that Jordan could fly when he’d stay airborne during a dunk. His dunking skills were beyond extraordinary. While this was a sight of awe for many, Jordan saw it as “an act of creativity.”

Michael Jordan would rush in with the ball, leap up high near the paint, extend his right arm, and slam dunk the ball into the basket. Sometimes, he’d also put his tongue out. There were times when Jordan would switch the ball from his left hand to the right in mid-air. Once, he left fans speechless after dunking all the way from the free-throw line during his legendary showdown with Dominique Wilkins in the 1988 NBA Slam Dunk contest.

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Jordan was unstoppable the minute he jumped up high, this was a given. In his iconic Playboy interview in 1997, His Airness opened up about the thoughts that rushed through his mind while executing a dunk.

Michael Jordan on being airborne

In the interview with Playboy, Michael Jordan spoke about golf, basketball, his movie Space Jam, and his tenure as a baseball player. During this 20-question interview, he was asked about what he feels when he is airborne. His answer was an eye-opener for many.

For Jordan, being airborne and executing a dunk was “an act of creativity.” The six-time NBA champion believed that performing the dunk meant quick adjustments mid-air and his athleticism enabled him to do so. He further added, “I see things before they happen, things that might happen, and then alter them—adjust, dish off.” For the world, this motion typically lasted for a second. However, time slowed down in his eyes during the enactment.

The Air-Jordans

Jordan’s ability to stay in the air for almost a second earned him his silhouette’s name. It was reported that when Nike was introducing a new type of shoe in association with Michael Jordan, which had ‘air soles.’

While contemplating on deciding an apt name, Jordan’s former agent David Falk remembered that Jordan spent time playing airborne. He said, “Michael played in the air, so I said, ‘I got it, we’re going to call it Air Jordan.” 

The Air Jordans soon became a cultural phenomenon throughout the country. People all across the globe wanted to own these shoes. Netflix’s docuseries ‘The Last Dance’, gave fans a peak into the popularity of the Air Jordans. In the show, American Rapper Nas said, “You needed that shoe to be like him. It was more than a status symbol.” 

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What is your favorite Michael Jordan dunk? Let us know in the comments below.