Michael Jordan never failed to stand up against any opponent on the basketball court. MJ won every NBA Finals series that he had been to and always showed up whenever his team needed him. He was considered to be the consummate competitor who instilled fear in his opponents’ minds. As it turns out, Jordan had his fears too like any other human being, as his phobia of water bodies came to light recently.

Fear of water is also known as Hydrophobia. Michael Jordan developed this phobia due to some unfortunate incidents that took place early on in his life.

Michael Jordan had to take a severe decision to save his life

In an interview given to Playboy magazine, Jordan elaborated on how a tragedy occurred when he was just seven years old. He said, “I went swimming with a very good friend one day, and we were having fun catching waves. At one point, the current was so strong that it swallowed him, and he grabbed onto me. It’s called the “death lock” when someone can die. I practically had to break his hand, he was going to take me with him.” 

The six-time champion had to decide to let go of his friend’s hand. Jordan said that his friend passed away later on. MJ was not able to save his companion from getting drifted away by the ocean current. He became helpless as the current was too strong. If he would have held onto his friend’s hand the world would not be familiar with the phenomenon of Michael Jordan. This incident left a heavy impression on young MJ’s mind. However, this was not the sole tragedy that occurred early on in his life.

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Michael Jordan lost his girlfriend in a water-related accident as well

When Michael Jordan was 11 he had a drowning scare at the children’s baseball camp. During his time at the University of North Carolina, he suffered a major loss because of water. When the students were sent back home during vacation, MJ’s girlfriend drowned in a water body and wasn’t able to survive.

These incidents left a deep impact on the NBA Hall of Famer. He made a massive decision in his life. He said, “I’m not going in the water anymore. Everyone has a phobia about something. I stay away from water.” MJ later cleared that he slowly overcame his fear of water. On getting asked if he goes out on the water on ships or boats, he replied, “Only big ones, not small ones, and I need a life jacket.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Michael Jordan takes a trip down memory lane.