Michael Jordan inspired teammates, rivals, and the upcoming hoopers throughout his career. Because of his legendary career and his presence outside the court, he inspired many athletes, even outside of basketball. One such is the former Super Bowl winner and a teammate of Tom Brady, who detailed his “personal relationship” with the Bulls legend.

“I mean, I’ve been able to meet some of the best throughout my life in career and sports. I think the one person that I aspire to be very similar to and take a lot from his successes is Michael Jordan.” When asked about his inspiration, Ndamukong Suh had only one answer in mind. “I think it’s an easy answer but being able to have a personal relationship with him and see how he’s built and then to have him support me in my own career especially right before I won a championship in 2020 through one of the toughest years.”

Suh didn’t disclose the text message the 6x NBA Champion sent, however, he recalled receiving the message twice. “To get a message from him via text the night before and the day of the game was meaningful to live up to his championship level.” The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year also played basketball while growing up. During his high school in Portland, the 37-year-old was a four-sport athlete, including basketball, soccer, track and field, and football.

Speaking about football, he once revealed what it was like to play alongside Tom Brady. “I see why he’s so good, just because of his work ethic and the things that he builds himself off, and that mindset and focus.” During his recent interview with Sky Sports, Sue also disclosed his most inspiring sporting moment, where he spoke about another NBA legend, not His Airness.

Michael Jordan’s ‘Dream Team’ partner has a place in Sue’s heart

As stated earlier, he played multiple sports, and his dream of being an NBA player was two inches short. “So the inspiration of wanting to be a basketball player which, till this day, I can still play. If I was only about two inches taller, I’d definitely be in the NBA.” Before speaking about his dream of playing in the NBA, Sue spoke about meeting Charles Barkley.

“I think one of the most influential sporting memories for myself was meeting Charles Barkley as a young kid. Remember vividly wearing a Raiders jacket uh I was supposed to be sick that day and my mom for whatever reason said ‘Hey let’s go down to the Trailblazers facility,’ where they were having practice and I got a picture with Charles Barkley.” Being from Portland, the Blazers facility was not far, and since he was a multi-sport athlete, he got a chance to meet Chuck.

The ‘Dream Team’ is often considered the team that inspired many hoopers. Undoubtedly, the former Super Bowl champion chose Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley as important figures for him. And it’s not the only example of how MJ inspired NFL athletes.