The unmatched on-court dominance of Michael Jordan led to multiple championships and numerous NBA highlights. These exemplary displays emerged from his pursuit of excellence through intense training sessions against his teammates. Despite the noble intentions, his desirable benchmarks often led to his teammates losing confidence, Steve Colter being one of the victims. The sportswriter Roland Lazenby shed light on this precisely lesser-known aspect of MJ’s journey in his book, Michael Jordan: The Life.
The author relied on the 2012 statements of Jim Stack, who had joined the Bulls as a staff member in the late 1980s. Operating as the “right-hand man” of then-General Manager Jerry Krause, the former NBA player used to actively assess the practice and the games. Throughout his stint, the 6ft 7″ executive acted as the glue between the coaching staff, the players, and the front office.
As a result, the former Houston Rockets player shared a close bond with the team’s central cog, Jordan. On top of it, Stack received the opportunity to witness the New York-born’s prowess from up close. Reflecting on it in 2012, the former Bulls member highlighted how the Black Jesus’ presence often used to undervalue the influence of the rest of the gifted players.
“Michael was just a wrecking machine…We had more talented players at times playing alongside Michael, but they just couldn’t withstand the immense prowess that he brought to the court,” he mentioned.
Following this, Stack put into focus the downside of this one-sided dominance as it often used to overwhelm the rest of the roster. Colter was one such name. The point guard failed to withstand the superiority of the then-Bulls talisman.
Shedding light on that instance, the former Bulls executive stated, “Poor Steve Colter. I thought he was one of the better guards when I got to the team, but Jerry ended up having to move him because he just wilted playing against Michael in practice”.
The episode added volume to the narrative around the 6x champion’s impact in the late 1980s and 1990s. Even after scouting several talents throughout his career, Stack refused to put the 5x MVP in a similar bracket with the others. Simultaneously, it captured the drawbacks of such a laser-focused approach, he pointed out the potential uncontrollable outcomes.
Michael Jordan admitted to being tough on his Chicago Bulls teammates
Nearly a decade after Stack’s statements, the 6x Finals MVP candidly accepted to be treating his former teammates harshly. In The Last Dance documentary, the 14x All-Star admitted to pushing them beyond their limits at times for the betterment of the roster. Yet, Jordan highlighted his accountability as he justified his demands with his clarification.
“You ask all my teammates, the one thing about Michael Jordan was he never asked me to do something that he didn’t f***ing do. When people see this, they’re going to say, ‘Well, he wasn’t a really 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 to win and be a part of that as well,” the 61-year-old mentioned.
Hence, the actions of the 6ft 6″ great were voluntary as he identified them as stepping stones to success. Looking back, the results rationalized the behavior as it integrated an incomprehensible competitive mindset within the team. In the end, it turned the franchise into the most successful one in the 1990s while helping the iconic guard earn the Hall of Famer status.