We often see fans credit Phil Jackson for his impeccable coaching of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. Why did Jordan start working harder? Well, there was an evident desire to hunt championships, and that desire was fueled by his then-college assistant coach, Roy Williams. Jordan hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game to bring home a 2nd title for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Many believe the 5x MVP’s journey started there.
However, Roy Williams believes the journey started when a young Michael Jordan questioned the 73-year-old, ‘What it takes to be the greatest of all time?’ Williams’s iconic answer which went viral a few years ago has resurfaced once again.
Roy Williams gave Michael Jordan a head start
Back in 1982, Williams was the assistant coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. When he saw Jordan for the first time, the 73-year-old believed, “This may be the best 6-foot-4-inch high school player I’ve ever seen.”
Finding talents is always the start of something legendary. Williams saw a desire in Jordan that none of his teammates had. The former head coach shared, “He had a desire that was different from everybody else… He told me he wanted to be the best player ever at North Carolina.”
This is when Williams gave a famous reply, “Well, got to work harder than you did in high school.“ This indeed sounds simple, but it fueled Jordan to change things. The 6x NBA Finals MVP replied to Williams, “I’m going to show you. Nobody’ll ever outwork me.’ And nobody ever has to this day.”
Jordan kept the same energy for the rest of his career and made sure no one else ever outworked him. A small push from Williams gave us Michael Jordan. At the same time, Jordan has never missed a chance to show his gratitude to Williams. After the 73-year-old put an end to his legendary coaching career in 2021, Jordan shared, “I’m sad that he’s leaving because he has meant so much to basketball…He and my father formed an unbelievable bond that meant so much to me.”
Not just Jordan, but his dad, James, had also been grateful to Williams. When the head coach moved to a new house, James Jordan built a wooden stove all by himself and gifted it to him. Shocked by the gesture, William shared he was “blown away”. This off-court relationship between Jordan and his former coach developed a beautiful bond.
The 1982 game-winner which turned Jordan’s life
As showcased in the movie ‘Air’, the 6x NBA champion got his shoe deal after the famous Nike executive, Sonny Vaccaro found calmness in Jordan. When the NCAA championship was on the line and the ball was passed to Jordan for the game-winning shot, he displayed a calm posture and a natural-looking shot which stunned Vaccaro.
Well, Williams and former head coach Dean Smith were the ones who trusted this calmness from Jordan. Williams shared the scenes from the championship game, “I remember as we were leaving the huddle, I was standing right beside Coach Smith and he patted Michael on the back and he said ‘If you get it, knock it in Michael.”