While basketball was his obsession, Michael’s first love was actually baseball. He was a decent pitcher and played Little League. But he realized quickly that chasing a curveball wasn’t his future.
His dad, James, worked at a General Electric plant and moonlighted as a mechanic. Michael idolized his father’s work ethic—the way he’d come home dirty and tired but still find time to throw the ball around. That lesson stuck.
And his mom? She was the real MVP. Deloris worked at a bank and made sure Michael knew that school came first. When he’d sneak out to play ball, she’d ground him. But she also bought him his first pair of real basketball sneakers—a pair of Converse low-tops. He wore them until they had holes.
The Secret Weapon: A Competitive Family
The Jordan household wasn’t a museum of calm. It was chaos. Michael’s siblings—especially sister Roslyn and brother Larry—never let him win at anything.
If he lost at Monopoly, he’d flip the board. If he lost a race to the mailbox, he’d insist on a rematch. His family would laugh and call him "a sore loser." But that same drive made him practice free throws until his arms ached.
You know that famous "Last Shot" in the 1998 Finals? That calm, focused look? That came from losing to his brother in the backyard. He learned early that failure was just a step to getting better.
Het intrigerende leven van de jarige legende Michael Jordan - Slick
