It is easy to say with the benefit of hindsight that Michael Jordan was always destined for greatness. Considering everything he achieved, it is easy to assume that he was on one track throughout and lived up to his glorious fate. However, MJ struggled quite a bit in his younger days, and it truly wasn’t until he got to college at the University of North Carolina that he broke out.
Jordan as a child, nearly lost his toe in a freak accident with an ax that could have cost him his whole career. However, even though he recovered from that, it took him some time to become the legendary phenomenon he became. MJ wasn’t rated very high even by the other residents of his hometown, Wilmington, and he spoke about this during an interview with GQ.
“Everybody in Wilmington expected me to go to North Carolina, sit on the bench for four years, then go back to Wilmington and work at the local gas station.”
MJ even struggled initially when he got to college, averaging just 13.5 points per game in the 1981-82 season. However, he grew both physically and in terms of his game during the coming years, leaving UNC as an NCAA champion, and the National College Player of the Year. This is what eventually led MJ to be picked by the Chicago Bulls as the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft.
Not only is this story a great reminder to young players that anyone else doubting you is meaningless, but it also provides a great perspective on the benefits of hard work. MJ did everything in his power to become the best he could, and that saw him eventually stand atop the pyramid at the pinnacle of basketball. Greatness really can come from anywhere, and sometimes the desire to prove people wrong can lead a person to immense heights.
