When Michael Jordan chose UNC legend Dean Smith over Phil Jackson as coach he would want for a game
Michael Jordan played for some of the most iconic coaches during his college and professional basketball career. However, in August 2015, Jordan picked the late Dean Smith over Phil Jackson when asked whom he would want as a coach to win a game.
"Dean Smith," Jordan said during a Q&A with campers at his annual Flight School,. "Dean Smith helped me become the basketball player I am today. Phil was lucky because I was taught the game by Dean Smith."
Jordan played his entire three years of college basketball under Smith at UNC. They helped the Tar Heels win the national chapionship in 1982.
Smith was hired as an assistant coach at North Carolina in 1958. He previously served as an assistant coach at Kansas and Air Force.
In 1961, Smith was promoted to head coach at UNC. He compiled an 879–254 head coaching record before abruptly retiring in 1997.
Apart from winning the national title in 1982, Smith also led the Tar Heels to the championship in 1993. He won eight ACC Coach of the Year awards and was the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1993.
Smith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Smith died on Feb. 7, 2015.
Michael Jordan won six NBA championships under Phil Jackson
The Chicago Bulls took Michael Jordan with the No. 3 pick in 1984 NBA draft. The Bulls hired Phil Jackson as an assistant coach in 1987 and he was promoted to head coach in 1989.
The Bulls went on to complete a three-peat under Jackson, winning NBA titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
In 1994, Jordan announced his first retirement from the NBA, citing physical and mental exhaustion. He played baseball for a brief stint in honor of his father, who was murdered, returning to the Bulls in 1995.
Michael Jordan helped Jackson's Bulls complete another three-peat from 1996 to 1998. He won a total of six NBA titles under Phil Jackson during their time in Chicago.
Jordan announced his second retirement after the 1998 season. He returned to the NBA in 2001 and played two seasons with the Washington Wizards, before calling it quits for the third and final team.
Jackson, on the other hand, left the Bulls to coach the LA Lakers after the 1998 season. He won three NBA titles with the Lakers during his first stint from 1999 to 2004.
Jackson returned to coach the Lakers in 2005 and won two more NBA championships with them before retiring in 2011.