Michael Jordan may have been the best player to ever play basketball, but at one point, he wasn’t even the best player in the Jordan household. That title belonged to Mike’s older brother Larry, who played college ball at UNC Wilmington. He never made it to the NBA, but not because he wasn’t talented enough.
Former Laney High School head coach Clifton ‘Pop’ Herring, who infamously ‘cut’ MJ from the varsity team, spoke about Larry in Joe Levit’s book “Michael Jordan: Flying High.”
“Larry was so driven and so competitive an athlete that if he had been 6-2 instead of 5-7, I’m sure Michael would have been known as Larry’s brother instead of Larry always being known as Michael’s brother,” said Herring.
The only player MJ admitted was better than him
Jordan brothers were born only 11 months apart, so it wasn’t surprising that the two always competed against each other growing up. However, Larry wasn’t just older; he was also the better basketball player, and MJ wasn’t shy about admitting that older brother would always get the better of him.
However, after Mike grew from 5’10” as a sophomore to 6’4″ as a high school senior, things began to change, not only in the Jordan household but in their basketball careers.
Soon, Mike received an offer to play for Dean Smith at North Carolina. Larry, on the other hand, ended up with UNC Wilmington. In 1987, he was drafted by the Chicago Express in the now-defunct World Basketball League and helped his team reach the 1988 WNL Finals. But that was as far as Larry’s basketball career went.
Living in Michael’s shadow
MJ blossomed as a player at UNC before reaching legendary status in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls drafted him with the third overall pick in 1984, and the rest is history. Meanwhile, Larry was relegated to being Michael’s older brother. At first, it was hard, but he’s gotten the hang of it.
“For me, it was pretty hard at first always being perceived as Michael Jordan’s brother,” Larry said. “You lose your own identity. It’s something I’ve learned to deal with.”
Larry soon realized that being MJ’s brother had its perks. For him, it came with business opportunities and employment.
In 2011, Larry began working for the Charlotte Hornets. Ten years later, he was promoted to Vice President for Player Personnel and was instrumental in the team drafting LaMelo Ball. So, while he never played in the league, Mike’s older brother still made it big in the NBA.