Even though he wasn’t the highest-touted prospect coming out of high school, it didn’t take long before people from NBA circles realized that Michael Jordan was going to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Jordan made a huge impact at UNC during his time there, becoming a bit of a legend at campus long before he became worldwide famous. Everybody there knew that he was poised to become a superstar.
Recently, legendary coach Roy Williams opened up on that part of Jordan’s life, describing how he managed to stand up from the rest of the pack and eventually become the greatest player in Chicago Bulls history.
UNC Coach Roy Williams Explains Why Michael Jordan Was Different From Day One
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
“Everybody missed, and we would have too. I just saw him on a Sunday afternoon and I thought ‘oh my gosh, this may be the best 6’4 high school player I’ve ever seen’. But none of us… knew that he was going to be Michael Jordan. He was just gifted. But he had a desire that was different from everybody else. He told me he wanted to be the best player ever in North Carolina. I said well, you’ve got to work harder than you did in high school. He said I worked as hard as everybody else. I said excuse me, I thought you told me you wanted to be the best. You have no chance. Two days later he came back and said I want to talk to you and said I’m going to show you nobody’ll ever outwork me and nobody ever has to this day.”
“That desire. There’s guys on the street corner that can run and jump. There’s guys playing basketball that can shoot, there’s guys doing so many things. And they are great players. But nobody’s as great as Michael Jordan was. That expression… He’s the GOAT and I’ve watched a lot of basketball, 71 years. Nobody’s done what Michael Jordan (has done). His desire, his passion, his focus, his work ethic, his competitiveness. Oh my gosh, it’s off the charts.”
That’s what makes good players become exceptional players, and that’s why so many talented guys often fail to fulfill their potential. And that’s why there will never, ever be another Michael Jeffrey Jordan.
