Right when he stepped in, MJ showed every reason he shouldn’t be messed with. His tough mentality and attitude are how most people know him. But when did the transition happen? Has he always been like that? This is the most important question about the competitive fire that had been in his heart since his college days. But one person, an old friend who watched Jordan right from the beginning, recalled a certain incident that triggered the process.

We head back to 1985 when a rookie Jordan was surprising everyone with his talent. He had made the winning shot to lead UNC to a championship. He was extraordinary and popular. But going into his first All-Star game in Indianapolis, which came to be known as the “freeze-out” game, the fact that no one believed in him at the time hurt him.

As the author of the book The Last Excellent Man, Mark Vacil explained, MJ was very close to tears as he wasn’t given a chance to show his best. Here is what happened. All the NBA stars, seemingly led by Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson, didn’t pass the ball to Jordan. Can you see when the rivalry was fueled between the two?

“The next the next day I mean he was on the verge of tears I mean he couldn’t believe that someone would accuse him of not trying to win or seeing himself above the team and that well he was a young guy too but that sort of vulnerability you know became hardened over time,” Vacil recalled.

It was most likely to embarrass him and show that while he was a popular rookie, there were several stars in the NBA. Some reportedly thought that Jordan would try to act big. The author recalled that moments such as these sparked the competitive fire in the Chicago Bulls legend.

This anger and eagerness to compete and win remained with him until his last day on the court when playing for the Washington Wizards. And just as he said, Jordan, even as a rookie, seemingly took his revenge in the next game against Thomas.

Michael Jordan hit 49 points to announce his stance

Both Magic Johnson and Thomas were quite tough on him regardless of their intention. Michael Jordan had 9 points in the game. But Jordan knew what he was going to do in the next game, the first against the Pistons after the freeze-out.

He dropped a massive 49 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Pistons. This is what Vacill earlier spoke about. Over the years, both Johnson and Thomas have denied the accusations of freezing out Jordan, while MJ explained that he was too immature to understand what happened. Much later, MJ explained, “When I went there, I was very quiet. I didn’t want to go there acting like a big-shot rookie, and you have to respect me.” 

But that is also fine. He already gave an apt answer.