“I Know How to Attack People”: Michael Jordan Revealed What Made Him a ‘Lethal’ Player Back in 1998

Credits: June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY

When fans crown Michael Jordan as the greatest player to play the game of basketball, the reasons could be many. It could be because of his skills, his athleticism, his accomplishments, or it could just be his hunger to win. However, according to the NBA legend, there was something more than these that separated him from the pack. In an interview with ESPN, dated 1998, the six-time NBA champion talked about what made him great.

In the article by ESPN, Jordan talks about playing positions that dictate the outcome of the game. And this is not limited to basketball. He references sports such as baseball and American football to further stress his point. If you have watched the great man play basketball, you know his ability to attack his opponents. Jordan believes his knowledge of the game allows him to read the opponent’s moves and plan the attack accordingly.

“In all sports I’ve always wanted to play the position where you can dictate the outcome of the game — pitcher, a base-stealer, quarterback. I can throw a football about 60 yards. But it’s my knowledge of basketball that is really high. I know every facet of the game, every trick of the trade, every little motivation, every little technique. But mostly I know how to attack people.”

The NBA’s six-time league MVP also revealed having better hand-eye coordination than your average person. In a sport, hand-eye coordination is a very underrated ability. Irrespective of your skill level, if you don’t have a good sync between your limbs and your eyes, it is unlikely that you are going to go very far.

“Other physical tests, I don’t know. I think I have good hand-eye coordination. I always felt I could be a wide receiver in football. I ran a 4.3 40 back in college. Of course, it was with the school’s watch.”

The Hall of Famer talked about having his IQ as well and said:

“Me, I’ve never had an IQ test, or if I have I don’t want to know my score. I know I’m good at math. I was a math major at North Carolina, until I missed too many classes because of basketball.”

With all his abilities on the basketball court, Michael Jordan was also an intelligent player. Though he doesn’t believe he has a high IQ, he knew he was good with numbers. Having taken mathematics as a major in college, he knew he was smarter than an average guy. His smartness reflected on the NBA court as well.

Michael Jordan taking things personally

The Netflix documentary – ‘The Last Dance’, gave us a great insight into the life of Michael Jordan through his six championship rings. However, an unexpected outcome of the show was Michael Jordan’s ‘I took it personally’ quotes. The ten-episode documentary had multiple instances where Jordan decided to humiliate his opponent because of something trivial that he took to heart.

The smallest of words or gestures made against him would set the man off, and he made sure the opponent paid the price. In one instance, the coach of NBA franchise Seattle Sonics – George Karl, refused to acknowledge his presence and walked past him. Jordan recalled that moment and then torched the Sonics to prove a point.

The things Michael Jordan took personally in his career make for a good laugh but also give a view of the psyche of the great man. He was always looking for motivation around the corner. As the most fierce competitor the game has ever seen, everyone was aware of his prowess, and no one wanted the smoke. Unfortunately, a lot of people had to find that out the ugly way.