Michael Jordan is arguably the greatest player to have ever played in the NBA. A serial winner during his time, the GOAT won 6 championships with the Chicago Bulls as he dominated the league for a decade. Achieving two three-peats while in the windy city, MJ was known for his rigid mentality. Tenacious in his approach, Jordan loved standing up to a challenge. Famous for taking most things personally, the 14x all-star was a gifted athlete and inspired many generations after him.

One of the most memorable aspects of Jordan’s career was his first retirement in 1993. During this time, MJ decided to retire to pursue a career in baseball and participated in minor-league baseball. Thankfully, ‘Black Jesus’ didn’t fare well in the sport as he made a comeback to basketball two years later. His return signaled another few years of dominance as he took an underperforming Bulls side to yet another three-peat. One former teammate of MJ recalled an incident from this timeline as he revealed the 14-time All-Star’s ruthless tenacity.

Michael Jordan’s special “mantra” that kept everyone on their toes

Former Canadian center Bill Wennington joined the Bulls the year Jordan announced his first retirement. Staying with the team until Jordan’s second retirement, the 7ft giant recently revealed the stark contrast of the team under MJ’s stewardship.

Recalling an incident where Ron and Toni Harper were sitting out of practice in the trainer’s room, the big man recounted Jordan asking them. ‘What are you guys doing in here?”

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Answering ‘His Airness’, Wennington remembers them stating that they were a little sore and wouldn’t be playing that day. To which the 5x MVP roared, “Get out there!”

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This incident was an unmistakable reflection of MJ’s demands from his teammates as he himself met those requirements. Calling it Jordan’s “mantra,” the former Mavericks man stated, “That was really the mantra with everyone. You’ve got Michael Jordan playing every practice. How can you miss?”

Michael Jordan’s grueling training sessions

Having once punched a former teammate during practice Michael Jordan was always pretty serious about training. Revealing that Jordan tested his teammates in practice to “know if you had it,” Bill Wennington opened up on training with MJ. “He tested you in practice and wanted to know if you had it. If you did, he trusted you.”

The Canadian also disclosed that MJ verbally berated his teammates as he explained. “He’d go at you and challenge you in practice. Verbally, physically, and mentally.” Revealing a time when he blocked Jordan’s shot in practice, the Canadian remembers the 6x finals MVP shooting over him for the entire practice, stating, “You didn’t block that one, did you?”

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