Ahead of the 1995/96 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls received media scrutiny as their talisman, Michael Jordan was revealed to have punched Steve Kerr. The instance served as a wake-up call for MJ prompting him to turn to a ‘mindfulness coach’ for help. Nearly two decades later, the team’s then-head coach, Phil Jackson, reflected on the moment while revealing the intricate details of the incident.
In his 2013 memoir, Eleven Rings: A Soul of Success, Jackson highlighted how the incident occurred during his momentary absence from practice. While he attended a phone conference with the media, the then equipment manager, Johnny Ligmanowski, rushed to deliver urgent news.
Allegedly, Kerr and Jordan had engaged in a scuffle with the latter punching his teammate in the eye before leaving for the locker room. Following this, Jackson met MJ there as he provided him with a stern warning. “You’d better call Steve and get it straight before tomorrow,” he told the man many called ‘Black Jesus’.
The instance served as “a major wake-up call” for the New York-born. He later expressed his regret, stating, “It made me look at myself, and say, ‘You know what? You’re really being an idiot about this whole process…I knew I had to be more respectful of my teammates…I had to get more internal”.
Consequently, Jackson encouraged the talisman to work closely with the mindfulness coach, George Mumford. The storied coach wrote the following on the matter in his book.
I encouraged Michael to start working more closely with George Mumford. George understood what Michael was going through because he had seen his friend Julius Erving experience similar pressures after he turned into a superstar.
It was difficult for Michael to develop close relationships with his teammates because, as George puts it, he was “a prisoner in his own room.” He couldn’t go out with them in public and just hang out, as Scottie often did
Over time, this working relationship, and the improvements in it, paid its dividends. The Bulls won the 1996 championship soon after before marching on to secure the second three-peat in their history. Jordan’s gameplay also flourished during this period, earning him two MVP awards (1996 and 1998) and three consecutive Finals MVPs, per Statmuse.
Despite the incident, Michael Jordan still believed in controlled aggression
Michael Jordan may have flung himself out of control on occasion, but he trusted his methods as a leader. The 6ft 6″ icon continued to sacrifice his image and relationships with his teammates to push them beyond their limits. He kept faith in his belief in the necessity to win championships, despite the major consequences of his actions.
During the 2020 documentary, The Last Dance, Jordan admitted the intentionality behind his endeavors, stating, “When people see this [documentary], and they gonna say, ‘Well, he wasn’t really a nice guy. He may have been a tyrant’. Well, that’s you because you never won anything. I wanted to win but I wanted them [the teammates] to win and be a part of that as well”.
Undoubtedly, MJ picked championships over friendships in the 1990s. While it wasn’t a path may choose to this day, it paved the way for a remarkable legacy while solidifying his reputation as a fierce competitor. Despite all the downsides that came with it, the Bulls legend has confirmed that he feels satisfied with the approach he took during his heyday in the NBA.