Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports (4 page)

Michael Jordan was a hero. Back in North Carolina, Tar Heel fans started referring to the play as simply “the Shot.” Everyone
knew that meant Michael’s game-ending basket. A photograph of Michael Jordan taking the Shot was placed on the cover of the
local telephone directory. The game-winning basket made Michael Jordan one of the best-known college basketball players in
the country.

How did he celebrate? Only two days after winning the national championship, he was back in the gym, playing in pickup games,
getting ready for his sophomore season.

At the end of the school year, James Worthy decided to leave college early and enter the NBA
draft. Michael Jordan knew that in his sophomore year the Tar Heels would depend on him to make up for the loss of Worthy.

Michael spent hours in the gym every day. Although he was only playing in pickup games, the competition included many of his
Tar Heel teammates and alumni from recent years. Michael’s team usually won, and he would play for hours. He didn’t leave
the court until he was too exhausted to play anymore.

All the hard work paid off. Entering his sophomore season, Michael looked strong and powerful. He now stood six foot six.
Everyone expected him to be the best player in college basketball.

But when the season began, the Tar Heels missed James Worthy. Although Michael was all over the court, stealing the ball,
rebounding, and scoring almost at will, North Carolina didn’t quite have the firepower of the year before. While they still
managed to win the ACC championship, they lost to Georgia in the regionals of the NCAA tournament, 82–77. Michael scored 28
points in the losing effort, and the Tar Heels finished the 1982–83 season with a record of 28–8.

For the season, Michael had averaged exactly 20 points per game and was named the Tar Heels Defensive Player of the Game 12
times. At the end of the year, he was selected to virtually every All-American team and named Player of the Year by the
Sporting News.
But Michael wasn’t satisfied; the loss to Georgia in the NCAA tournament hurt. He knew there was room for improvement in
his game.

That summer, he was invited to join the United States basketball team playing in the Pan American games. Michael knew that
playing against some of the best players in the world would help him improve his game and hone his skills. As a member of
the team, he was able to travel to Caracas, Venezuela. The team won the gold medal, and visiting a foreign country opened
Michael’s eyes to a world outside the United States.

He became fascinated with different cultures. So, after talking with his academic adviser at the start of his junior year
at North Carolina, he decided to become a geography major, specializing in cultural geography.

At the college level, geography is much more than just knowing the state capitals. It is a rigorous academic
program that studies how landforms and other geographic features influence the development of societies. Michael enjoyed travel
and thought the program would help him appreciate his experiences. He even hoped to become a geography teacher some day.

Michael took the academic side of college seriously. He had to. Every time he called home, the first thing his mother asked
him about was his studies. Only after Michael assured her that he was studying hard and keeping up with his classwork would
she ask him about basketball.

Yet it seemed unlikely that Michael would ever become a geography teacher. Entering his junior year, he was the best-known
player in college basketball. Most people assumed that Michael Jordan’s future would be in professional basketball. But for
now, everyone expected him to lead the Tar Heels to another NCAA championship.

Coach Smith acknowledged that Michael had earned his place as team leader by giving him more responsibility. On defense, he
was allowed to exercise his own judgment and leave his man if he thought he could make a steal or block a shot. In all
his years of coaching, Coach Smith had only given two other players the same freedom.

But was Michael ready to take on so much so quickly? While North Carolina began the season with a string of victories, Michael
played poorly. He suffered through the first shooting slump of his college career. Instead of scoring his usual 20 or 25 points
per game, Michael struggled for every basket.

Everyone wondered what was wrong. Was Michael feeling the pressure? Was he becoming lazy? Did the constant double-team he
faced from the opposition bother him? Was he really as good as people thought?

Michael asked himself the same questions. When he could not find an answer, he went to his father and asked for his advice.

“Son,” James Jordan said, “you’re trying to force things. You’ve got enough talent that if you just play like Michael Jordan,
things will fall into place.”

The advice soon worked. Michael started relaxing on the court and let the game come to him.

The Player of the Year was back. On January 29, the Tar Heels were losing to Louisiana State University
at the end of the first half, 37–34. Then Michael Jordan took over the game.

In the final 20 minutes of play, Michael was everywhere, blocking shots, making steals, rebounding, and scoring baskets in
increasingly spectacular fashion. He finished with 29 points, and North Carolina won in a rout, 90–79.

As Michael got better and better, the Tar Heels cruised through the remainder of the regular season. North Carolina easily
won the ACC championship and tournament, finishing with a record of 27 wins and only 2 losses. Entering the NCAA tournament,
the Tar Heels were ranked number one in the country.

In their first game, they easily defeated Temple University, 77–66. Michael was magnificent, hitting 11 of 15 shots and scoring
27 points.

The victory earned the Tar Heels the right to play Indiana University. Indiana Hoosiers coach Bobby Knight was considered
one of the best college coaches in the nation, and his team reflected his basketball savvy. On offense, the Hoosiers were
patient and disciplined. On defense, they controlled the tempo of the game and challenged every shot.

That style bothered North Carolina. The Tar Heels never got untracked, and for the first time in months, Michael had an off
game, scoring only 13 points. North Carolina lost, 72–68.

Despite the loss, Michael collected a number of individual honors. Once again, he was named college basketball’s Player of
the Year and selected to virtually every all-American team. The pressure of the basketball season was over, but there was
no rest for Michael Jordan. He had to make several important decisions.

After playing for three years at North Carolina, there was little left for Michael to accomplish in college basketball. His
team had won an NCAA championship and three ACC championships. He himself had won almost every individual award college basketball
offered. Over the last half of his third season, it became clear that the college game provided no challenge for his skills.

Michael Jordan was in the perfect position to enter professional basketball. In everyone’s estimation, he ranked with the
best three or four players in college basketball and was certain to be one of the first players selected in the NBA draft.
He was also
healthy. If he played another year of college basketball; Michael could get hurt. Even a minor injury in a college game could
affect his chances to make it in the NBA.

Then there was the money. Michael knew that if he turned pro, he and his family would be wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.
Michael’s parents had worked hard their entire lives. Michael wanted to provide them with things they had done without in
order to raise their children. Michael promised his mother a new house and he wanted to buy his father a car. He wanted both
his parents to be able to retire.

But Michael’s parents, particularly his mother, didn’t care about the money he would make in professional basketball and all
the things he promised to buy. His mother’s only dream was for Michael to receive his college degree. “No matter where you
go and how much money you make,” she told him, “you’ll always have your education.”

While Michael tried to decide whether or not to turn professional, he faced yet another challenge. He was invited to try out
for the 1984 United States Olympic basketball team.

Unlike today, in 1984, professional players were not allowed to play for the United States Olympic team. The squad team was
to be made up entirely of college players. So, in mid-April, 72 athletes were invited to try out for the team. Indiana coach
Bobby Knight served as coach.

Many people thought that Michael Jordan would have a hard time playing in Coach Knight’s structured offense. Yet once the
tryouts began, it was obvious to everyone, even Coach Knight, that Michael was a special player. Michael was spectacular on
both ends of the court. To no one’s surprise, Knight selected him for the Olympic team.

Playing for the Olympic team was an honor, but it didn’t change the fact that Michael had a decision to make. The NBA draft
took place before the Olympics. If Michael wanted to play professionally next season, he had to make up his mind — soon.

He went to talk with Coach Smith. Jordan respected the coach and knew Smith would be honest with him.

“Coach,” asked Michael, “what do you think? Should I turn pro?”

As much as Smith enjoyed having Michael Jordan on his team, he was also a realist. He knew his star player was ready for the
NBA. Smith didn’t think it made any sense for Michael to take a chance playing another year of college basketball when some
NBA team was willing to pay him millions of dollars.

Besides, Smith knew Michael Jordan’s game was made for professional basketball. In college, Michael had to play within the
confines of Smith’s system. Smith knew that Michael often had to slow down in order to involve his teammates in the Tar Heel
offense. The slashing drives and magnificent dunks that he made only once or twice a game at North Carolina would become commonplace
in the NBA. Smith advised Michael to turn pro.

The deadline for making his decision was May 5. Until the very last moment, Michael was unsure what to do. On the evening
of May 4, he went out to dinner with Buzz Peterson and kept asking his friend, “What should I do?”

Over and over again, Peterson replied, “I can’t help you. You’re the only person that knows the right answer.”

The roommates talked late into the night, lying on their beds in their dorm room and staring at the ceiling. When Michael
woke the next morning, he quietly got dressed and left for the press conference held for him to announce his decision.

By the time Michael arrived at the press conference, he had decided what to do. Although he knew how much his mother wanted
him to get his degree, he had decided to turn pro. He promised his mother that he wouldn’t let professional basketball stop
him from finishing his studies some day.

Michael looked around at the reporters and TV cameras, took a deep breath, and said, “I have to do what’s best for me. If
I owe anyone, it’s my parents, who have put up with me for twenty years. Money plays a big part in our lives, but who knows?
I may not be around next year. I think it’s better to start now. But this wasn’t solely a financial decision. Here was a chance
to move up to a higher level.”

College was over. Soon, Michael Jordan wouldn’t be playing basketball just for fun anymore. Soon, it would be a full-time
job. Basketball had become his life.

CHAPTER THREE
1984–1985

Although Michael had made the decision to turn pro, his immediate future was uncertain. He still had to go through the NBA
draft, then play for the Olympic team in Los Angeles.

While many people thought Michael would be successful in professional basketball, not everyone was as confident as Coach Smith.
Some pro scouts thought Michael might have trouble making the transition from the college game. They wondered if his jump
shot was accurate enough for him to play guard and if, at six foot six, he might be too small to play forward. While Michael
had been the best player in college basketball, few thought he would become the best professional player.