Michael Jordan became one of the best players ever thanks to his unreal athleticism coupled with a mind-boggling drive and competitive fire to win at any cost. This is a notion that is agreed upon by many. Recently, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discussed this combination as well. The six-time NBA champion also talked about his competitive fire during his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech. In every phase of his career, he always had one thing or the other that motivated him to work harder. One of Jordan’s biggest critics recently talked about one such chip he had during his college career.

NBA fans need no introduction about MJ being cut from his high school team. Young Mike went back home crying. However, this disappointment set him on a path to greatness. It motivated him to work hard and never give up. In the next few years, Jordan became one of the best talents in the country and joined the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Michael Jordan wanted to prove he was better

The author of The Jordan Rules, Sam Smith, is one of the biggest critics of Michael Jordan in terms of his attitude behind the scenes. However, Smith is a huge fan of Jordan’s basketball abilities and considers him to be one of the best players to ever grace the court. He recently joined another critic of MJ, Colin Cowherd, for the Colin Cowherd Podcast. In one instance, Smith talked about MJ’s instant impact on the Chicago Bulls team. He recounted that the rookie blew away his teammates in the first few practice sessions. Smith noted that the way he played against the veterans who were all top-10 picks astonished the Bulls’ coaching staff.

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He then added Jordan did something similar during his freshman year in college. He said, “He’s blowing by everybody, he’s dunking on everybody. There’s that famous story. When he came in as a freshman in North Carolina. And the first thing he did, he went to the board and he started writing the times, listing the names of Worthy, Perkins, all these All-Americans, saying how many times he dunked on them.”

“Somebody Come Help”: Michael Jordan Left Ex-NBA Star Feeling Helpless During His Freshman Year in College

The author stated that was how Jordan first announced himself in college as well as the league, by dominating his teammates.

Jordan in college

As a freshman, Michael Jordan wanted to prove he is better than the All-Americans on the team. And he did not mind rubbing it in as well. Eventually, he was named an NCAA Consensus first-team All-American in 1983 and 84.

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The five-time NBA MVP also led the Tar Heels to the NCAA title in 1982.