Prior to drafting Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls struggled for years in the NBA. They weren’t even a regular playoff team. But after drafting Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft with the third overall pick, the Bulls won the lottery.
With Mike on the roster, the Bulls never missed the NBA playoffs once, and he considers qualifying for the postseason for the first time with the Bulls his happiest moment with the organization.
However, MJ’s true dominance only started in the 1990s. Jordan helped the Bulls advance to six NBA Finals, and the organization had a perfect 6-0 record in the NBA Finals.
While Jordan changed the entire franchise, thanks to his amazing ability to play basketball, it wasn’t easy by any means. For starters, there are a plethora of stories about Jordan being incredibly strict with his teammates to get the best results from them.
Michael Jordan Reveals Why He Was Tough With His Teammates
Obviously, MJ being tough with his teammates may have cost him several potential friendships, but at the end of the day, Jordan helped them win NBA Championships.
In an interview with GQ, MJ was asked why he always demanded a lot from his teammates. Mike simply responded that it was nothing personal. Instead, it was his leadership style.
Via GQ:
“That was leadership. I was the only guy there from 1984. I was there when there were 6,000 people in the stands. So I took pride in making sure every guy understood what it took to get us to this point, and by no means am I going to allow you to come in and change what we’d begun—the transformation of a city that’s never had a championship. I used my criticism, my aggressive language, my aggressive behavior, to make you conform. Some people, like Sam Smith [author of The Jordan Rules], looked at this in a whole different frame of mind. At first I was offended. Then I realized, people don’t understand our journey. I bet if you ask anyone now on those teams, they have a greater appreciation for what we achieved as opposed to the method we went by to achieve what we achieved.”
He added, “Absolutely. I never took a day off. If I took a day off, then Scottie was going to take a day off. And then Horace. The next thing you know, the whole scope of what we’re trying to do is being weakened. I never took a shortcut, and I never wanted anyone else to take a shortcut. If that meant someone interprets me as a tyrant, I’m pretty sure they’re appreciative now.”
Jordan has always been quite open about his tough leadership style. He believes that winning has a price and that slacking off even for a while can have a catastrophic effect. All things considered, Mike’s leadership worked well for the Bulls, and he finished his career with the Bulls as a 6x NBA champion and as the greatest basketball player of all time in the eyes of most fans.
