Michael Jordan is an incredible competitor, someone who captured the world’s attention with his highlight plays on the court and his incredible charisma off it. During his prime, there was arguably no one more famous than MJ, his name was synonymous with winning across the world, transcending the boundaries of just basketball.
The main reason for this may have been his incredible ability to play basketball and win, but the thing that made MJ who he was in his prime was the aura he had around him as well. Players were often beaten before the game even started, there was an expectation that Jordan would take over the game and win at some point no matter what anyone else did.
An example of his dominance in things not related to basketball comes from former NBA player Kendall Gill. Gill was a Chicago sensation when Jordan was lighting the league up with the Bulls and himself entered the NBA in 1990. Speaking to The Athletic about MJ, Gill recounted a time when his girlfriend saw Michael Jordan’s car at the United Center and how her reaction made him think that there was just no way to beat Jordan.
“So I have this 456 GT Ferrari and I’m with my girlfriend at the time, and she liked my car,” Gill said. “I pull up and they park it for me at the UC and we walk in. Michael and Scottie used to park inside the UC. So Michael’s Ferrari is there, but it’s a 550 Maranello. Brand new. My girlfriend goes, ‘Hey, I like that one. Can you get that one?’ I’m like, ‘That motherfucker.’ It was the newest model Ferrari put out. I’m thinking, ‘I just can’t beat this guy.’ ”
It’s no surprise that Jordan had the newest Ferrari model at the time, he was such an icon that he was only associated with the biggest names in any aspect of life. To have such an influence that you can get into the heads of your opponents without even being present is a gift that very few people are ever born with, and understanding that Jordan had that goes a long way in helping one realize exactly why almost no one could ever beat him or his Bulls during their prime.
