“Not Going Out There Looking to Improve”: Despite Getting Blamed for Being ‘Selfish’, Michael Jordan Once Put the Blame on His Own Teammates Advertently

Michael Jordan and his legacy in the NBA is unmatched, and there is ample reason for it. The six-time NBA Champion was a fierce competitor and demanded more from everyone playing around him. A huge reason for the success of the Chicago Bulls squad throughout the 90s. Although some players understood MJ’s demands from the get-go, other players were a little slow to catch up. Naturally, when His Airness found a lack of effort from his teammates he wasn’t a sitting duck not doing anything about it.

In the book The Jordan Rules, it was revealed how the Bulls no. 23 went all out when he couldn’t see the effort from his teammates. His Airness publicly dissed his teammates because he was tired of their ‘selfish’ performances.

Michael Jordan wasn’t the one to bear lackluster performances from his teammates

In the book The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith, a lot was revealed about Jordan’s days as Chicago’s best. Amidst all the stories, one story narrated a particular game between the Chicago Bulls and the Brooklyn Nets.

When the Bulls were leading by 24 points, Jordan was pulled out of the game as the Bulls had a comfortable cushion. But the team’s reserves couldn’t fulfill their roles properly as the 24-point lead was turned into a 10-point lead. Hence, Jordan had to be put back on, a fact which didn’t please him at all as he let it be known after the game.

“Our bench guys are not going out there looking to improve on the game,” complained Jordan. He further added “They’re mostly looking to improve on their statistics instead of learning to play with each other and get some kind of continuity. They’re playing as individuals and that’s something they need to change.”

Although his teammates weren’t happy with MJ’s comments, their poor performances coming off the bench were a fact. Players like B.J. Armstrong, Stacey King, Dennis Hopson, Cliff Levingston, and Craig Hodges were all under the fire. 

Coach Phil Jackson also demanded more from them as he mentioned their roles were different from MJ and Scottie Pippen, and how life wasn’t meant to be “fair”.

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MJ and Pippen were indeed different from others as they were an integral part of the Bulls domination throughout the 90s.

The Pippen-MJ partnership which demolished sides for a whole decade 

The pair wasn’t initially clicking, but as they defeated the Detroit Pistons in the 1990-91 season, there was no stopping them. They soon went on to cut through teams like hot knives on butter.

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While they won a total of six Championship rings together, their stats playing together was even more incredible. The duo played a total of 691 games in 11 years and won 514 of them together.