“Told me to go shop for my birthday”: How Michael Jordan once treated his baseball teammate to a shopping spree at Nike
Michael Jordan is known as one of the most if not the most fierce competitors in all of basketball history. In his documentary, "The Last Dance," we got to see how Jordan would absolutely destroy his teammates. However, there is another side to Jordan that doesn't always appear in media headlines.
Jordan's teammate Scott Tedder has a story about Jordan that paints Jordan in a more loving role. Tedder was a teammate of Jordan on the Birmingham Barons, baseball team, for less than a season in 1994. Here is what Tedder had to say (via Andscape):
“The day before my birthday, he [Michael Jordan] asks me to meet him in the lobby the next day at 6 a.m. We get in the car and go to TPC Southwind to play golf. … After golf, he took me to the Nike warehouse and told me to go shop for my birthday, and put it on his tab.”
#TBT Player of the Week: Scott Tedder ‘88
-1988 National Champion
-1988 National Player of the Year
-2501 Career Points (NCAC Record)
-2-Time NCAC Player of the Year
Fun Fact: Scott was also an All-American in baseball and played minor league baseball with Michael Jordan. pic.twitter.com/LRHZSPHzev
“I saw Michael, and he gave me a hug”- Scott Tedder on Michael Jordan as a teammate
Michael Jordan might be an opponent's worst nightmare, but can be warm to his teammates. Scott Tedder, Jordan's former teammate, recalled an incident when Jordan checked up to see if Tedder is well.
This incident took place in 2003 when Tedder was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. At the time, Jordan was playing with the Washington Wizards and was in his final season in the NBA.
When Jordan found out the news, he invited Tedder to watch his game and called him into the locker room. Tedder recalled:
“I saw Michael, and he gave me a hug. He wanted to make sure I was doing great and my family was OK… As a baseball player, he was a great teammate. Him checking on me all those years later, that really meant a lot.”
Jordan is widely recognized as the GOAT and this is especially the case because of his killer mentality. However, Jordan is still like the rest of us and indeed does have a soft side.