NBA legend Michael Jordan is arguably the best player ever to play the game of basketball. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2009 for his achievements over the years. Jordan dominated the league and won six NBA titles in a fantastic fashion. Unsurprisingly, MJ delivered one of the all-time great speeches as well. It is no secret he was very competitive, and it drove him to be successful. During the speech, he talked about the people that made him competitive.

The six-time NBA champion stated that his parents, brothers, and sisters initially started the competitive fire in him. He then talked about everyone who added fuel to his competitive fire over the years. And MJ made sure he would talk about the infamous story of getting cut from his varsity team. Fans need no introduction to the story, which made him work harder and become an all-time great.

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And Jordan also talked about his friend Leroy Smith, who was selected to the varsity team when he was not. After becoming a superstar, MJ would use the fake name of Leroy Smith when he is in public places to remind him about where he came from.

Michael Jordan talks about the infamous story

Michael Jordan not making the varsity team and then becoming a superstar in the NBA has motivated many to work harder during tough times. However, there were doubts about the story and some even suggested that it was a myth. So Jordan made sure he brought Leroy Smith to his Hall of Fame speech. The Chicago Bulls legend talked about how the incident made him who he is.

He said, “But he started the whole process for me. Because when he made the team and I didn’t, I wanted to prove not just Leroy Smith, not just to myself, but the coach who actually picked Leroy over me. I want to make sure you understood, ‘You made a mistake dude!'”

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Being cut from the varsity team fueled his competitive fire at a very young age. MJ used the adversity to get better and once his size caught up with his skills, he became unstoppable. In his every step to greatness, Air Jordan made sure his competitiveness would not waver. And his opponents and nay-sayers made sure of that as well without knowing it made him stronger than ever.