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“Soft Spoken” Michael Jordan Had a Sandwich Named After Him Even Before Featuring in the NBA

Published 10/28/2022, 10:30 AM EDT

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Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan has a whole line of sneakers named after him, and rightfully so. There isn’t anyone who has come close to what Jordan was able to do on the floor. And that is not including his accomplishments but his gameplay on the court. But did you know that Jordan had a sandwich named after him even before making his debut in the NBA? Well, as a matter of fact, he did.

We all know what Michael Jordan accomplished in the NBA. Six NBA championships, five MVP awards, 6 finals MVPs, and much more. But he was also a huge deal during his college career in North Carolina.

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A throwback interview with Michael Jordan before his NBA days

Jordan once sat down with ESPN’s Roy Firestone before his NBA days. They talked about how MJ joined some of the other great players who had a sandwich named after them. Some of the players who had sandwiches named after them were Sam Perkins with a sandwich named ‘Samwich,’ and then there was the ‘Big Macadoo, named after Bob McAdoo. 

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Dean Smith had the ‘Smithsonian,’ the ‘Larry Miller Filler’ and finally the ‘Jordan Sandwich. Firestone mentioned how that sandwich was almost a tongue sandwich because of Jordan’s habit of sticking out his tongue on the court.

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Jordan mentioned how he picked up that habit from his father when he was small and hasn’t been able to get rid of it. But now it is one of Jordan’s iconic moves when he used to bring the ball down the court.

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His Airness made the unanimous first-team all-American for two straight seasons in college. He was the leading scorer in ACC with 19.6 PPG. He averaged 55% from the field and 77% from the free-throw line.

The journey of Jordan from high school to college

But a lot of you may not know that MJ once did not make his high school basketball team one year. And later, his growth spurt kicked in with him going from 6’1 to 6’5 in a single year. And he went from not making his high school team to becoming the nation’s best college basketball player.

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Watch This Story – Michael Jordan collectible fetches $1 million for a rookie card over 30 years old

No wonder Jordan had a sandwich named after him even before dominating the NBA. Despite being touted as the best college player in the nation, Jordan went fourth overall in the 1984 NBA draft. You can be sure that the first three teams must be kicking themselves for not picking Michael Jordan first overall. 

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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Abhishek Dhariwal is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He earned his bachelor's degree in English Honors from St. Xavier's College and his master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from AAFT School of Mass Communication and Journalism.
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Edited by:

Sreeda U M