Michael Jordan said his high school coach who cut him from the team was also the reason for his resurgent rise - "He takes pride in that too"
Michael Jordan's tale of being cut from his junior varsity team is pretty well-known. However, in an interview with Jay Leno in 1997, Jordan revealed how he believed that being cut was the reason for his subsequent growth as a player.
By the time of Jordan's appearance on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno', the Chicago Bulls legend was well on his way to becoming a future Hall of Famer.
Jordan was already a five-time NBA champion with his most recent win in the 1997 Finals. However, while speaking with Leno, the Bulls superstar was asked about the disappointment he faced upon being cut from his high school team.
Jordan initially laughed it off, but he followed it up by talking about how getting cut was the best thing to happen to him.
Leno then asked whether Jordan still saw that coach. MJ responded by saying (from 4:30 onwards):
"Yeah, he coached me through high school. Actually, he used to pick me up and take me to the gym and help me improve. He's a little disappointed now that he may not get the recognition that he deserved because some other coach came and took the recognition as being my head coach."
"But, his name was Clifton Herring, and he was my high school coach. He was the one that cut me but then he was the one that picked me up and got me straight."
Leno then commented that Herring was the only coach who could say they cut Michael Jordan. Jordan built upon this statement and added:
"You know what? He takes pride in that too."
Michael Jordan's rise to GOAT status
Michael Jordan's growth as a player after high school was exponential. He eventually became a star with the North Carolina Tar Heels and became a main rotation player in his freshman year itself.
His crowning moment came in the 1982 NCAA national championship game when he delivered the game-winning jumper.
In the following seasons, he subsequently boosted his stock high enough to become the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. From there on out, Jordan slowly began the journey to cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.
Also Read: Revisited: "That was God disguised as Michael Jordan" - Larry Bird recalls MJ's legendary 63-point performance at The Garden in 1986
With six NBA titles paired with six Finals MVP awards, Jordan is certainly one of the most successful players in league history. While additionally taking note of his personal achievements on both ends of the floor, MJ is undoubtedly one of the most complete players to have ever graced an NBA court.