Michael Jordan is arguably the most popular basketball player of all time. He helped take the NBA to levels that were unheard of, and it’s safe to say without the influence of Jordan, the NBA would not be where it is today.
Jordan dominated the league as a member of the Chicago Bulls as he won six NBA titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and a Defensive Player of the Year award. While Jordan was dominating the league wearing his iconic Bulls uniform, there was also another part of a different uniform Jordan would wear.
Underneath his Bulls shorts, in every game, Jordan wore his North Carolina Tar Heels shorts. The question now is: why did MJ wear his college shorts under his NBA gear?
Michael Jordan’s Love Of North Carolina
Michael Jordan’s decision to play at North Carolina was probably the best decision he ever made, other than his decision to meet with Nike. Joining the Tar Heels meant Jordan could be coached and mentored by the late great coach, Dean Smith.
Smith taught Jordan not only how to be a great basketball player but a great person, as well. Jordan has spoken highly of his time at UNC and even picked it over his time in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan spoke to Marvin R. Shanken of Cigar Aficionado about this topic in 2005:
Marvin R. Shanken: What brought you more pleasure, playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Chicago Bulls?
Michael Jordan: That’s a good question. I would say it was for the Tar Heels. No one knew me until then. That’s when the notoriety and everything began with Michael Jordan. By the time I got to Chicago, I was drafted three, so everybody knew I was at least decent.
But at North Carolina, when they recruited me and asked me to attend the university, it was an opportunity to prove myself. Up to that point, everybody had heard that this kid is pretty good, but we don’t know how good. He came from a small town. He wasn’t preseason All-American. He wasn’t in the Top 100 High School kids. He didn’t attend AAU games, and he was not a ranked player in the nation.
The University of North Carolina really gave me the foundation that it took to become a basketball player. Up to then, I hadn’t been spoiled by the media spotlight. I was still raw. As a result, I had an appetite to prove to everybody that I was a decent basketball player, or a good enough basketball player to be at North Carolina. That was by far the purest experience for me, and the most satisfying.
As you can tell, Jordan loves North Carolina. Jordan had a superstition during his playing days that involved wearing his UNC shorts under his Chicago Bulls shorts during every game. The reason MJ did this was that he believed his shorts were lucky since they were the shorts he wore when UNC won the 1982 NCAA championship, thanks to his game-winner.
Because Jordan wore his UNC shorts under his Bulls uniform, he asked to have his Bulls shorts made longer than the standard length of shorts at the time. This led to players wanting to wear longer shorts, especially the University of Michigan’s Fab Five back in the 1990s.
Yes, Michael Jordan wore his “lucky” shorts under his Bulls jersey every game, and you know what, he may have been right about them being lucky. If six NBA championships are any measuring stick, then I’d say Jordan was right to wear his UNC shorts.
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