Greatness always comes at a cost. For Michael Jordan, it was relentlessness, sacrifices, hard work, and being labeled as a bully by his teammates. Over the years, we have heard several ex-Chicago Bulls players calling him a bully on the court. While they also agreed it was for the greater good, Jordan is known as a bully.

His notoriety for this trait wasn’t just restricted to bullying his opponents, but also those on his side. However, few know how and why the Bulls legend came to be infamous for this aggressive trait. As per his beginnings in the world of basketball, it goes back to where it all started.

What made Michael Jordan a bully?

Jordan represents greatness, and he is among the most accomplished and well-known athletes in the world. However, the road to 6 NBA championships wasn’t an easy one for the New York-born legend. Today the world knows him as arguably the greatest basketball player to have ever played the game. In his illustrious career, Jordan won six rings, six Finals MVPs, five league MVPs, and made 14 All-Star appearances. But, this list of achievements would be an undersell if we don’t consider his off-the-court prominence. The seasoned entrepreneur is a multi-billionaire and was the first in the league to become so.

Michael’s relentless pursuit of greatness wasn’t a fluke. He was trained his whole life to become the man the world knows him as today. Tracing back to the 1984 Summer Olympics, we get the first glimpse of what fueled him to reach these heights. According to the book Michael Jordan: The Life, his coach Bobby Knight brought Jordan to tears after a below-average performance. After Team USA blew a 22-point lead with Jordan committing six turnovers and hitting 4/14 from the field, Knight gave Jordan a dose of reality. Although the USA won that game, a young MJ was yelled at by his coach in the locker room, bringing him to tears. This instance could have been what made him the ruthless competitor the world witnessed.

The victims of Michael Jordan’s bullying

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Recently, Grant Hill recalled the Dream Team training days and said that preparing the team for the Olympics was an experience he’ll never forget. Grant had said that he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” at that time.

On another occasion, Scott Williams, who won three rings with the Bulls recalled MJ being a bully. Additionally, he also said that despite MJ’s bullying, he managed to impress the Bulls legend and earned his respect.

Jordan required absolute commitment to greatness from everyone who played alongside him. Today, all those who obliged his call to action can call themselves NBA champions. However, there are some who don’t hesitate in saying that MJ was a bully and playing with him was tough. For better or worse, it shaped him into the legend we know him as in basketball history.

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