“We’ve had those moments in the highest pinnacle of the season or games, so those conversations are very, very in-depth” - Michael Jordan on getting closer to Magic and Bird during the 1992 Olympics
Michael Jordan has a reputation for being hard to get along with. According to reports, that stems from how incredibly competitive he is as a person. That is to be expected because you don't become the greatest NBA player of all-time without having a chip on your shoulder.
In fact, you don't make it to the NBA without a fierce will to compete and prove your dominance. So, as you can imagine, when Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson and the Chicago Bulls phenom first met each other, there was a palpable disdain between the pair.
But as the two stars spent more time together during the 1992 Olympics, they grew closer. Johnson could see Jordan's hunger to be the best in the world and enjoyed the company of such an elite competitor. The pair quickly became good friends and remain close to this day.
The 1970s era was Kareem’s.
The 1980’s era was Magic and Bird.
The 1990’s era was Jordan’s.
The 2000’s era was Tim Duncan’s.
The 2010’s era was LeBron’s.
The 2020’s era will be Trae’s. https://t.co/5WAPfFJDV2
It wasn't just Johnson that grew close to Mike either. Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird, who himself is known as a ferocious competitor and is sometimes seen as difficult, also embraced Jordan and aimed to share his wisdom.
"I became actually closer with magic. During that time, than a lot of time together and Bird too. talking about all the competitive conversations who's on top who's not on top, who's began it'll be now. I don't know we just, we seem to hit it off.
It's good to have those arguments with Guy's been there, you know, it makes it so much easier and the conversation can get really deep in terms of how you approach mentally physically, you coaching, your certain strategies, this about what you did in a certain moment."
"And those moments are very, very similar to each and every one of us, because we've had those moments in the highest pinnacle of the season or games. So those conversations are very, very in depth. That's the icons club. I think what you're talking about," Jordan explained during a recent episode of The Ringer's Icons Club.
The 1992 Dream Team is often seen as the moment the torch was passed down from Bird and Johnson to "His Airness". It's an iconic tournament, not only because of it being the first time that NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics. But also because it signaled to the world that Jordan was ready to take the mantle of "best player in the world" and help elevate the NBA and the game of basketball to new height.
Dream Team for a reason! 😎
Check out some of the best from Team USA at Barcelona 1992.
#Basketball | #DreamTeam | @TeamUSA | #NBA75 | @NBAIndia https://t.co/CN9qgsx5XV
Perhaps that's why the former Bulls champion sought to gain as much input from the likes of Bird and Johnson - because those two players had helped carry the league on their backs for close to a decade, and could help provide Jordan with the blueprint.
Mike ended his career as a global superstar and the face of the Jordan brand, so it would seem that all of those long conversations with the stars that came before him worked, and that proves that real recognizes real.