Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all time. With that being said, in order to be the greatest, you have to have an insane competitive edge that outflanks all of your opponents. Jordan was one of those players that fit the previous description, to a tee. Sometimes though, this upset his teammates as Jordan demanded the very best from them at all times.
Jordan's tactics are on full display in the latest 10-part ESPN docuseries called The Last Dance. The documentary follows the 1998 Chicago Bulls on their way to their sixth championship in eight seasons. There is archival footage as well as interviews with some of Jordan's teammates. According to the director Jason Hehir, Jordan has admitted that the documentary features him looking like the bad guy in most instances.
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”When you see the footage of [me riding with Scotty Burrell], you're going to think that I'm a horrible guy,” Jordan told Hehir. “But you have to realize that the reason why I was treating him like that is because I needed him to be tough in the playoffs and we're facing the Indiana's and Miami's and New York's in the Eastern Conference. He needed to be tough and I needed to know that I could count on him.”
While Jordan may come across as intense, there is no denying that his attitude ultimately paid off for the team. Either way, you will be able to draw your own conclusions as of April 19th when the first episode airs on ESPN.
[Via]