Michael Jordan Explains Why He ‘Felt Compelled to Push’ His Teammates at Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan era is a separate chapter written down in history books of NBA. They won six championships through the 90s and ruled the league in a king-size fashion.

Bulls dynasty began its run of winning championships in 1991 and never turned back. Michael Jordan-led roster won their first three-peat by 1993. And NBA fans were going bonkers about what they had witnessed in the legend’s name.

Michael Jordan went for baseball during his first retirement

While the Bulls franchise found itself at the top of the sport, their chief Michael Jordan announced retirement in 1993. MJ tried his hand at the Minor League Baseball for a year. On the other hand, the Bulls didn’t make it to the fourth championship that year. Thus, the Chicago star made a comeback in 1995 and the team roster had some changes on paper.

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The likes of Luc Longley, Jud Buechler, Steve Kerr, and more were new additions to the banner franchise. And it was Michael Jordan’s duty to prepare the newbies into maintaining the top-team status in the league.

Playing within the top team of the league

During an interview in Luc Longley’s documentary ‘One Giant Leap’, MJ narrated his experience with the new players. “I wanted them (new players) to understand…. where we transformed from so that you can understand what it feels like playing in front of the fans.

“I thought it was very important for them to understand that history and that dynamic about what the Bulls actually experienced,” the champion further added.

“So, I felt compelled to push them… to understand, ‘Okay, we’re not in the bottom anymore, we’re on top. And when you’re on top, everybody’s coming at you. So you have to be prepared, you’ve got to be ready to play.'”

Dennis Rodman was also one of those who entered the second three-peat of the Chicago Bulls. However, he wasn’t new to a championship atmosphere, having won two titles with the Detroit Pistons before.

Eventually, it was a total of six rings for Michael Jordan and Co.

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