Esquire Details Young Michael Jordan’s Competitive Drive

If you didn’t know an epic, nearly 800 page biography about Michael Jordan just hit store shelves titled Michael Jordan: The Life. The book hits on a number of aspects that made MJ into the living legend he is today and even delves into his childhood. In the latest segment, Esquire talked to author Roland Lazenby who offered up a quick segment about what happened when a friend picked on MJ for his oversized ears and how Mike used early criticism to fuel his need to prove naysayers wrong. Stick with us after the click to read the short snippet and grab the full article over on Esquire.

Source: Esquire

One of Neher’s assistant coaches suggested they teach Jordan how to “skip hop” the ball accurately to second base on the bounce. The assistant coach told Jordan to throw the ball tight, just over the pitcher’s head. Jordan picked up the technique right away. He delivered the ball low on the bounce, right where the second baseman could put a tag on a sliding runner. 

Neher recalled warm-ups before the big game that day: “We were taking infield, and the Mutual players were all standing by the fence watching. When they saw Jordan throw on the bounce, they started laughing. They went crazy and started razzing him, ‘Oh, look at that spaghetti arm. We’re gonna run on you tonight, Mr. Spaghetti Arm.’ Mike flipped up his catcher’s mask and looked at them. He grinned and said, ‘You run and I will gun.’ We all laughed. That was funny. In the second inning, they sent a man and Mike threw him out. They sent three or four. Mike threw ’em out, and they quit running. We laughed about that. After the game, Mike said, ‘I told you I could do it.’ ”