“I’m cursed” - Michael Jordan once gave extremely thought-provoking response about his ultra-competitive nature
Michael Jordan once claimed that his competitive nature was a curse. The Chicago Bulls superstar is considered one of the greatest players ever and has the awards to prove it.
With six NBA championships and multiple individual accolades, Jordan's competitive nature has been well-documented since his retirement in 2003.
During a 2021 interview with ABC Australia, Jordan discussed how his competitive nature made adjusting to life outside of the NBA quite difficult. The former superstar noted how he can't approach any aspect of life without looking for some aspect of competition within it:
"I was such a competitive player, and each and every day felt the need to always get ahead of my opponent. Well, when you're out of sports and you're in normal life, you don't shed that armor that you actually have coated yourself with based on your lifestyle and work ethic.
"You have to find your way around it, and that's frustrating. I look at everything from a competitive nature. I'm cursed from a competitive standpoint that I cannot watch or compete or be a part of things without competition, you know?"
Since retiring from the NBA, Jordan has become an incredibly successful businessman. The global superstar recently sold his majority share in the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion, 13 years after purchasing the team for $275 million, once again showing his business acumen and competitive nature.
Vernon Maxwell recently spoke on Michael Jordan's competitiveness
Throughout his NBA career, Michael Jordan had countless battles with other stars in the league. There are endless stories regarding Jordan's competitive nature and the things he would do to give himself a competitive edge leading up to and during games.
Recently, former NBA guard Vernon Maxwell shared what it was like to face off against Jordan, and how he would test your resolve to find out what type of player you were.
“He is a killer out there,” Maxwell said. “He is a dirty mother******...He will elbow you in your s**t. If you don’t elbow him back in his s**t, he know he got a b**ch out here tonight.
“You got to be a little different. You can’t go in that game passive,” Maxwell said. “(Michael Jordan) can sense when a mother***ker is scared. You can’t be none of that s**t.”
If you ask any NBA player from Jordan's era, they will likely have a story about his competitiveness, or how hard he played against them on any given night.
You don't become one of the best players in history without having that additional edge and fire. Michael Jordan is fortunate that he found a way to channel that into his post-basketball life, and has reaped the rewards of doing so.