When Michael Jordan was with the Chicago Bulls, and they finally started winning in the 1990s, the hype around him grew out of control. MJ was one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, let alone the NBA, and everyone wanted to be just like him. MJ was on his way to becoming the GOAT, and a lot of people recognized that and wanted a piece of his time.
Michael Jordan was untouchable in the 1990s, both on the court and off of it as well, quite literally. People wanted to be around him as much as they could, which meant he needed a huge security detail. And one of the best accounts of just how to put together Jordan was, comes from one former Bulls player.
Tim Thomas Described How Michael Jordan Moved When He First Met Him
For players who would go on to play for the Bulls, it was just as much an intense experience meeting Michael Jordan as it was for the rest of the world. And Tim Thomas met MJ even before he made it to the NBA. And he described the experience in detail (via si.com).
“I never really hung with them other than this one time Pip invited me to dinner and they were staying at the Crowne Plaza and Mickey Mantle’s place is right up the street in Central Park. They’re up in Mickey Mantle’s so I walk up in there and they got the entire restaurant shut down.
“So I get there right before dinner is over and this is my first time ever meeting Mike. So I met Mike, and Pip and the rest of the team and they were getting ready to walk out and I didn’t even see where security came from for Michael Jordan. But he had about ten guys that came out of nowhere like they were secret service. And that’s a quick walk back and forth to the hotel and they rushed him down the street so fast it was unbelievable.
“I thought he was the president or something. But that was like my first time meeting Mike eye to eye, shaking hands, and meeting the GOAT and as a youngster, I’ll always remember that.
The fact that Thomas even got to meet MJ at all despite not yet being in the NBA is a huge feat. Michael Jordan was one of the biggest heroes in the world at that point, and it’s no surprise that his security detail was as tight as it was. Knowing how many people would go to any lengths just to see him in person, it’s safe to say that MJ needed just as much protection as the President himself.
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