Antoine Walker spoke on the Forgotten Seasons podcast recently and discussed Michael Jordan‘s summer workouts. He noted that LeBron James, who was 16 years old at the time, would have to wait for hours to get the chance to play with Michael Jordan, as there were much more tenured, senior players ahead of him in the pecking order.
“I’m watching MJ come back, Ron Artest is guarding him, and cracked his rib, trying to get him back. Just guarding him. The toughness with which you have to play with, it was different. I remember LeBron came up there, he couldn’t even get in… It was that thick. Granted, he was young, 16-17, but he couldn’t get in. We were at UCLA, we had 30 pros…
(Till 1:00)
LeBron James told this story a few years ago, speaking about the chance he got to play alongside Michael Jordan during those workouts. The timelines may be slightly different, as LeBron claimed he was a rookie in the league, but James was thrilled to be playing on the same team as his hero, even if it was for a scrimmage.
“That’s Michael Jordan’s camp in Santa Barbara. We were on the same team then. I was a rookie in the league and I went to Santa Barbara, to MJ’s camp, and we used to play around 9:00 pm, the camp would end.”
“He would let the kids watch the first game around like 8:30 and then he had all the kids leave and then we would stay along with the college kids that he would invite to the games as well. We would get a good run-in for about an hour, hour fifteen. So, yeah, I was on a team with MJ and we didn’t lose a game.”
There is no denying that if there was any footage of these games with Michael Jordan and LeBron James on the same team, that footage would be worth its weight in gold today. To be able to see the two defining players of basketball on the same team would be a sight to behold for fans all over the world.
Michael Jordan Had Strict Rules For All Participants At His Workouts
In the same interview, Antoine Walker also spoke about all the different rules Michael Jordan put in place for the athletes. He noted that all of them would eat afterward at Jordan’s restaurant. While players could leave for the weekend, they were not allowed to mix their drinks with chasers due to the sugar. It was a strict environment.
“MJ had the restaurant that was directly across from the gym, same parking lot. We would leave the gym and go right up to the restaurant, and eat, and break bread together. You were with guys for 6-8 hours, man.”
“That was your summer. One thing I did love about MJ, was we always took the weekend off to do whatever you gotta do with your family, travel…”
“You’re talking about arguably one of the most famous people in the world. That Monday through Thursday was with the guys, working out, and getting our bodies together. Even to the point where we drink. He had a rule; we’re going to drink, but no juice. All straight vodka.”
“We ain’t gonna mess these workouts up… or drink. It was to that effect. Everybody was held accountable… Monday through Thursday, it’s check-in time. Everybody put that work in.”
(1:00 onwards)
Jordan clearly made sure that all the players who were at his summer workouts were taking it seriously, and didn’t stray from the mission. Michael Jordan, even at the age of 38, was an elite athlete and knew how important the goal of getting in shape was. The rules he put in place were to ensure everyone was at their best.
While these rules may seem really strict from the outside looking in, one has to understand how important being in good shape was for Michael Jordan at the time. Jordan was coming out of retirement for a second time in his career, after a three-year hiatus from the NBA.
So, not only did he demand the best from himself, but made sure that he was surrounding himself with the best, most focused athletes in the world. While Jordan’s third run in the NBA wasn’t nearly as successful as his first two, it wasn’t for a lack of fitness by any means.
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