Michael Jordan was once left unimpressed after Jay Leno brought up an embarrassing topic: "Why you always wanna talk about that?"

Michael Jordan almost took it personally in 1997 when he was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The veteran host brought up the story of Jordan getting famously cut from his high school basketball team during his sophomore year.

In an appearance on The Tonight Show on Sept. 16, 1997, Leno and MJ discussed the Chicago Bulls legend's legendary high school story. Jordan failed to make Laney High School's varsity as a 5-foot-11 guard, and it's still an embarrassing topic for the Chicago Bulls legend.

"I got cut as a sophomore," Jordan said. "That's embarrassing. Why do you always wanna talk about that? ... Everybody goes through disappointments. It's how you overcome those disappointments. And sure, I was disappointed not to make the varsity team.

"That's a status to thing to make the varsity team. I wasn't just good enough. At the time, my ability didn't catch up with my height, so I was kind of clumsy. I knew how to play the game of basketball, but I didn't know how to play the game to play at the highest level."

Michael Jordan tirelessly worked on his game and made the varsity team as a junior. He also grew four inches into his senior season and become a dominant player. He averaged 27.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in his final season and was named to the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game.

MJ was scouted by many universities, including Duke, South Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia. However, he committed to the University of North Carolina and led the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship as a rookie in 1982.

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A look at Michael Jordan's career in retrospect

Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls

After three years at UNC, Michael Jordan was selected third overall in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan quickly established himself as one of the best young players in the league. He won the Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star in his first season and broke the postseason scoring record in his second year.

MJ won his first NBA MVP trophy in 1988, but his path to the championship was blocked by the Detroit Pistons. He finally overcame the "Bad Boys" in 1991 when he led the Bulls to their first title. He also led Chicago to three straight championships from 1991 to 1993.

A few months after the death of his father in July 1993, Jordan abruptly retired from basketball and pursued a career in baseball. He returned to the NBA in 1995 and won another three-peat from 1996 to 1998.

Michael Jordan retired again after winning his sixth championship but returned to play for the Washington Wizards in 2001. However, the Wizards failed to make the playoffs in Jordan's final two seasons. He then fianlly retired in 2003 as the greatest player of all time.

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