Very few know about the day Michael Jordan’s own team broke his competitive heart. At the time, he still believed that every single game in the NBA was only about winning. But one night late in the season completely broke that belief.

The 1984-85 season was the beginning of a new era for the Chicago Bulls. Jordan had just arrived from college and a gold-medal run at the Olympics. The incident happened during the second-to-last game of his rookie year. Jordan started the game, scoring 19 points in 1st quarter to help Chicago take early control.

Then, head coach Kevin Loughery began limiting his minutes and sitting him on the bench much longer than usual. Jordan recollected those days, saying, “Here I am, trying to win, and he [the coach] is giving the game away. The fans started booing. They knew what was going on. And we lose. I got so p***** off.

Jordan also disclosed what it taught him about the game. He said, "That’s when I first found out that basketball was a business. I just knew it. Man, I was so p***** off, tears came from my eyes, I was so *****off!”

This story was first covered in a 1989 GQ profile by David Breskin titled Michael Jordan In His Own Orbit.

Jordan had never witnessed losing intentionally before entering the NBA. He realized the Bulls were thinking about playoff matchups and long-term benefits instead of a single game. This became his first lesson that professional basketball was also a calculated business. 

But as tough as that night on the bench was, it was not the only experience from his rookie year that changed him emotionally.

Another Rookie Wake-Up Call Showed Him the Dark Side of the NBA

That same deep GQ profile detailed another unforgettable moment from his first year in the league. During a preseason trip to Peoria, Illinois, Jordan was trying to bond with his new teammates. 

He knocked on a hotel room door and expected a normal team bonding session. Instead, he walked in to witness players drinking, smoking, and using c******.

Jordan walked back after saying, “Enjoy yourselves.” He came back to his room and was proud of his decision to leave. It was a gentle reminder for MJ of how the NBA environment challenged the clean values he grew up with.

Both of these experiences made MJ realize that the journey in the NBA was not that easy. Jordan never forgot that night in Peoria, and he used the story often during anti-d*** talks and public appearances. 

What do you think about the harsh lessons Michael Jordan learned during his rookie year?

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Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Souvik Roy