SUMMARY
- Despite Jordan's reputation for physical dominance, the Bulls players wanted to toughen him up, and according to Banks, Jordan took the beating without complaint.
- Gene Banks revealed that Michael Jordan is very image-conscious and highly competitive.
Michael Jordan is arguably one of the greatest and most iconic players in the basketball world who revolutionized the sport and continues to be the face of the NBA. Countless people know the league and the team Chicago Bulls solely because of Jordan. He is widely renowned for his fierce determination and boldness. However, it wasn’t always the case as even Jordan was taught a hard lesson by the Bulls players during his rookie year.
Notably, Jordan debuted in the league in 1984 after being picked by the Chicago Bulls. Throughout his fifteen-year-long career which included three retirements, Jordan broke and made unbreakable records. He made the Bulls a celebrated team by winning six NBA Championships. Furthermore, Jordan has been named NBA Finals MVP six times, Ten-time All-NBA First Team, and much more.
In addition to his remarkable skills and basketball IQ, he was known for his trash-talking on the court. It was one of his ways to exert dominance over other players. Furthermore, it was not only restricted to his opponents, as he sent his teammate to early retirement because of trash-talk. Furthermore, Gene Banks who is a former Bulls player spoke about Jordan’s less-known rookie year during an appearance on ‘Earfluence.‘
Banks spoke about how he played with Jordan for two and a half years and it was phenomenal. He said, “The great thing about it was, he was, as far a player, he was like a machine.” However, this did not stop the Bulls players from teaching Jordan a hard lesson. Banks disclosed, “We took him out, we physically beat the hell out of him and he took it.” This revelation took the fans by storm as Jordan is renowned for his physical dominance.
Gene Banks claims that Michael Jordan is very image-conscious
The entire ‘Earfluence‘ interview with Gene Banks involved numerous revelations about Michael Jordan. After talking about how the Bulls players taught Jordan a hard lesson, he spoke about how Jordan worked hard in practices. He disclosed that due to hardcore practicing, the games were easier than practices for His Airness. Furthermore, Banks claimed that Jordan is very image-conscious.
He said, “Mike was very image-conscious. He is the type of guy, that’s very competitive.” Banks continued to talk about how he doesn’t like to lose in anything. The former San Antonio Spurs‘ forward revealed that Jordan would lock the door if he lost a game of cards or ping pong. Notably, Jordan during his rookie year managed to win over hardened Chicago Bulls fans with just one performance against their rivals.
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Furthermore, one other instance of Jordan being image-conscious is when he pleaded to the media to keep the birth of his first son, Jeffrey Jordan a secret. The reason behind this was that Jeffrey was born out of wedlock and Jordan likely feared how everyone would react to it. Notably, Jordan is undeniably among the best players in history but he did have his fair share of humbling moments.
