Michael Jordan always found it difficult to stay away from basketball. Even after retiring from the NBA for a second time, he made it to the management position and stayed close to the sport. Although his time with the Washington Wizards is not seen as some of his best work, the players of the team were able to enjoy the amenities that came with having His Airness on your side.

Years before signing Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton to Air Jordan, when the two were teammates in Washington, MJ humbled Hamilton by letting him know he was not that good.

Michael Jordan took advice from the youngsters

After his second retirement from the league, Michael Jordan became the general manager of the Wizards in 2000. After one year in that role, he got back onto the court to better understand the players. Coming out of retirement again, Mike played with the Washington Wizards for two years.

In 1999, the Wizards drafted Richard Hamilton with the 7th pick. In his third season on the team, he got the opportunity to share the court with the Chicago Bulls legend. Hamilton once revealed in an interview with Complex how Jordan asked him and his teammates for advice.

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Hamilton said, “He would come in the locker room every day with a different sample shoe, a sample shirt, or whatever. He would get the response of all the young kids.”

Jordan was 38 years old at the time, and Hamilton was 23. So he wanted the input of the youngsters. Jordan would take in the feedback, make changes to the shoes, and sample products accordingly.

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 This willingness to listen to the consumers and take in their input helped Jordan elevate the brand to the level it is today. But as the brand grew, Hamilton asked Jordan about putting him and other young talents in the Wizards into the Jordan Brand.

MJ was brutally honest

Even when Jordan was in the management, he would go and practice with the team. Richard Hamilton averaged 20 points per game at the time, but he was not selected as an all-star.

Jordan replied, “‘Hey, Rip, my sneakers are for All-Stars“. Basically, he implied that he was not good enough for the brand.

Hamilton was traded to the Detroit Pistons after one season of playing with Jordan. His career changed after that. He became an NBA champion with the Pistons.

But most importantly, he was an All-Star in 2004. After becoming an All-Star, Hamilton told MJ, ‘Hey, M, now I’m an All-Star; now you’ve got to put me in that sneaker, and now you’ve got to pay me the big bucks“

Michael Jordan kept his word, and Hamilton was eventually signed by the $152 billion Jordan Brand.

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