The Chicago Bulls in the 1990s redefined basketball with Phil Jackson as the head coach, but the primary reason behind that success was Michael Jordan. The man that’s arguably the greatest basketballer to ever live injected competitive fire into his teammates as no other star has in modern history.
The reason for the competitive edge the Bulls played with was Michael’s intensity in practice behind closed doors. Horace Grant referred to MJ as ‘the Devil’ for the way he attacked teammates in practice if they were matched up against him.
“Man let me tell you, we thought this guy was just the devil. When I say the devil, that’s out of respect. In terms of the way he practiced, we thought that we were the Detroit Pistons or the New York Knicks. This guy practiced so hard, and if you weren’t on his team in practice you were his enemy. And that’s how driven this man was, and that’s why you can say that he was the best player that ever played this game.”
Michael Jordan was the devil in practice said former Chicago Bulls teammate Horace Grant on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
FULL QUOTE:
“Man let me tell you, we thought this guy was just the devil. When I say the devil that’s out of respect. In terms of the way he practiced, we… pic.twitter.com/1sR2aFLhzP
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) July 4, 2023
Jordan was a killer on his own throughout the ’80s when he kept falling short of a title. After years of building a competitive fabric, the team unlocked a new level as the old dynasties around them crumbled and they basically dominated an entire decade.
MJ averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists during his career with the Bulls and has six championship rings to remind him of his legendary exploits on the court.
Michael Jordan Could Have Won Even More
Jordan has one of the most impeccable winning resumes in NBA history, having never lost a Finals in his six trips there. While he has some eliminations to his name, including one in the ’90s, MJ has an incredible hit rate of delivering on expectations. One three-peat is hard enough, but two three-peats are absolutely insane. Maybe he could have been a seven-time champion if he didn’t end up retiring after 1998.
Unfortunately, MJ couldn’t add to his decorated resume as a team owner. In over a decade of being the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, MJ delivered virtually no success for the franchise. He finally sold the team this summer for a valuation of $3 billion. MJ officially ends his involvement with the NBA at the age of 60, content with the billions he’s made through the Jordan brand and the sale of the Hornets.
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