After earning the Rookie of the Year award in 1985 and guiding the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs for the first time in four years, Michael Jordan faced high expectations in the 1985-86 season. However, in just the third game, he broke his left foot against the Golden State Warriors.
With His Airness sidelined and the Bulls falling further out of the postseason contention, he noticed the team positioning itself for the draft, a strategy he clearly didn’t appreciate.
Jordan saw himself getting restricted minutes
Returning for the last 15 games of the ’85-86 regular season, the 6’6” shooting guard faced strict restrictions set by Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause, who limited him to just seven minutes per half. Jordan found this limited playing time frustrating.
Citing that he rigorously practiced for two hours after his injury return, Jordan expressed that he was more than capable of getting more game time. This mismatch between his abilities and the imposed limits irked him, particularly as he saw the direction the Bulls were taking.
“That’s when I felt more frustrated than anything,” Jordan said. “I felt more than anything they were positioning themselves for the draft, and I didn’t feel good being part of that. I felt I was an all-out player who didn’t half-a** anything, and they wanted to move up (in the draft). I was a player. I wanted to play.”
After his return, the six-time Finals MVP averaged 22.3 points over those 15 games, helping the Bulls register a 30-52 record and clinch the last spot from the East to make it into the playoffs.
Mike did everything to get back even stronger
Not only was Mike furious about the Bulls’ draft strategy and his restricted playing time, but he also disclosed in Episode 2 of The Last Dance documentary that he had been playing five-on-five games at UNC without the Bulls’ knowledge.
“I started playing one-on-one, and then I started playing two-on-two, then I started playing three-on-three,” Jordan said. “Next, I was playing five-on-five, and the Bulls never knew I was doing it.”
Although Jordan was caught when he arrived at the Bulls facility, and people noticed that his injured left calf was much stronger than his uninjured right calf, the story highlights how, from a young age, Jordan followed his own desires because others didn’t always support his relentless hunger to be among the best.
In such situations, the 14-time All-Star did what he believed was best, regardless of whether the other would appreciate it or not.