Michael Jordan had arguably the most successful career in NBA history, which is why he's considered the GOAT by fans everywhere. However, dealing with the amount of success he enjoyed isn't exactly easy.
Young MJ found that out the hard way during his time at North Carolina , and it was one of the few setbacks he endured on the basketball court. With some help from legendary Tar Heels coach Dean Smith , though, Jordan figured things out.
Credits to his coach for helping him navigate fame
While Mike helped North Carolina win a National Championship as a freshman, he truly broke out as a sophomore when he became an All-American player. Entering his junior year, MJ was clearly a star, but it impacted his level of play on the court.
His Airness ended up struggling early in his junior year, prompting Smith to step in and let him know that his previous success was impacting his play on the court. That opened Jordan's eyes and allowed him to recalibrate himself and get back to his incredibly high level of play.
"Coach Smith done noticed it," Michael Jordan said via Finest Magazine. "He showed me film from my sophomore year and the beginning of my junior year, and it looked like a totally different person. It made me see exactly what success had done to me, and I was able to deal with it from that point on. I remember we were playing NC State, and I cut my hair, I was bald-headed, and I said, 'I'm washing away with the way I started off with the season.' I set my own expectations of myself, and I just started to play better basketball."
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Smith's advice to MJ helped him become a superstar
Jordan turned things around and earned his second straight All-American honor before he declared for the 1984 NBA Draft. If Smith hadn't stepped in with advice, things could have played out very differently for him.
Instead, it served as the backbone for his career in the NBA. MJ figured out how to not let all the fame and praise he was receiving off the court impact his play on the court. The legendary guard stayed true to himself, and it allowed him to reach heights that few, if any, players have ever reached.
Once he made it to the NBA, Jordan had no problem acclimating to the fame he was receiving. He led the Chicago Bulls to six championships while also racking up a bevy of other individual accolades that have helped him assert his claim as the game's best player.
Nobody gets to the top without facing adversity, and one of Mike's toughest moments came during his college days at North Carolina. With the help of Smith, though, the two ensured that it wouldn't throw his career off the rails, and it set the stage for all his NBA success.
Related: John Paxson once detailed the difference in leadership between Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan: “Michael was very demanding as a teammate”
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