Michael Jordan has never been known to be the type to ask for help. His cult of personality – carefully crafted by his team, the media, and, of course, himself – has always honed in on his relentlessly solo style of play. This tendency has often been seen as selfish, while others have noted it as a mark of true leadership. Now, however, as memories of Jordan’s greatness slowly but surely are fading, one claim from an 11x NBA champion has created a massive dent in His Airness‘ otherwise unpenetrable legacy.

Phil Jackson, Jordan’s head coach across his remarkable 6-peat championship run, revealed part of an MJ speech he overheard. “There was many times when I stood outside in the hallway and I could hear Michael carrying on in the locker room, ‘Who’s going to step up and stand beside me?'” said Jackson. The comment came during an inspirational meeting with Jackson’s former team, the struggling Chicago Bulls.

With this revelation, Jackson has managed to do two things. Firstly, he admitted to eavesdropping on MJ. Second, and arguably more importantly, the legendary coach shut down arguments that claimed His Airness could win by himself. As it turns out, even the great Michael Jordan needs help from time to time.

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Before MJ’s glory days, he went through a period of unprecedented personal success; however, this did not translate to championships. Enter Phil Jackson in 1989. In their first NBA Finals trip together, the legendary head coach needed to teach Michael Jordan how to get over the hump. Yep, even the great MJ didn’t know how to carry a team to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.

Phil Jackson taught Michael Jordan a crucial lesson

Speaking at a broadcast interview, Jackson revealed what he taught MJ, saying, “I had to encourage Michael to penetrate, pitch to Paxson, he’s gonna be wide open. All the concern is about Jordan is gonna try to score, he wants to win the championship so bad, he’s gonna try to do everything, show them that you can pass the ball.”

Jackson then went even further, claiming that not even Michael Jordan could win games on his own, regardless of his superhuman abilities on the basketball court. Jackson said, “No matter how great he (Michael) played, there were nights he couldn’t overcome another team.”

Jordan’s legacy is undeniable; there is no doubt about that. For many, His Airness will undoubtedly go down as the greatest to ever step foot on a basketball court. However, this only goes on to show that even the greatest of all time needs help. After all, basketball is a team sport, and as MJ himself once said, “There is no “I” in team.”

Read More: Michael Jordan’s “Rebellion” Displayed Distrust in Patient Phil Jackson in 1990

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