June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY
There's a story behind every legend, and that story seldom gets a spotlight. Michael Jordan's tale starts not on a court but behind-the-scenes talks with his father, James Jordan Sr., who founded it all.
"He was my rock," the NBA icon said in ESPN's The Last Dance. "We were very close. He constantly gave me advice. I remember in ninth grade I got suspended three times in one year, and my father pulled me aside that summer and said, 'Look, you don't look like you're heading in the right direction. You know, if you want to go about doing all this mischievous stuff, you can forget sports.'"
Those words had an impact and attachment to the person's life. Jordan later told the NYT that it was enough for him to turn his life around.
Jun 12, 1991; Los Angeles, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan hugs the championship trophy as he celebrates winning the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at The Forum. The Bulls defeated the Lakers 108-101 in game5 and won the series 4-1. Mandatory Credit: MPS-Imagn Images
Jun 12, 1991; Los Angeles, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan hugs the championship trophy as he celebrates winning the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at The Forum. The Bulls defeated the Lakers 108-101 in game5 and won the series 4-1. Mandatory Credit: MPS-Imagn Images
From then on, it was tunnel vision. The same child who was suspended 3 times within one school year earned 6 NBA championships and 5 MVP awards and is considered the greatest athlete in sports history.
Jordan transformed his grief into motivation after his father died in 1993. In his appearance on ESPN's The Last Dance, Jordan discussed how he dealt with grief while still in the public eye.
"One of the things that [my dad] always taught me is that you have to take a negative and turn it into a positive, so I started looking to the other side of it, and that helped me get through it," Jordan added.
That lesson directly influenced one of the most emotional moments in Jordan's career, his 1996 NBA Championship win on Father's Day, which was devoted entirely to his dad and is still etched in his memory.
Jordan's penchant for honoring his roots extends beyond his immediate family.
Michael Jordan Fulfills Teacher's Final Wish
The man who calls his father the reason for his being the man he is on the court is now proving his worth off the court. When a dying former teacher's final wish surfaced, Jordan didn't hesitate; he picked up the phone.
Ms. Etta, who was visiting Lower Cape Fear LifeCare in Wilmington, North Carolina, as a patient, was thinking about her days as a teacher when Jordan's name kept coming into her mind.
That wish was granted by a social worker named Wendy, who cold-called the six-time NBA champion multiple times until a new phone number showed up for her.
"Is this Ms. Etta?" Jordan asked.
A FaceTime conference was held, as the facility stated, "They laughed, reminisced, picked at each other, and shared a moment that brought tears to everyone in the room. A memory her family will carry with them forever."
The facility expressed its gratitude to Wendy and to Jordan for creating such a memorable end to Ms. Etta's story, and reminded the man James Jordan Sr. raised that he never forgot where he came from.
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Written by
Utsav Gupta
Edited by
Utsav Gupta