Why Michael Jordan wanted to be the player to welcome rookies into the NBA - "It's not gonna be easy as you think, and I'm here to say it"

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players ever. He was the ultimate competitor who wanted to win every game he played. He succeeded by winning six championships in his career, winning all six Finals series he played in with the Chicago Bulls .

Combined with his competitiveness, Mike was also a petty person. He wanted to demoralize his opponents when playing against them so they could fold and make the Bulls win. This petty approach became even more prominent when Jordan played against prized rookies.

"You got the younger guys coming from college who always got something to prove. Those guys coming in with the hype with the name, with the big money. The number one and number two draft picks potential of changing or dominating the league," Jordan said in an interview. "It's not gonna be easy as you think, and I'm here to say it won't be. That's enough to keep coming back; success is enough to keep coming back."

Jordan was obsessed with being the best

There was no one as competitive as Jordan during his prime. He always found ways to make things personal to motivate himself to play at the highest level. MJ did that during his NBA career, as seen by the general public in his The Last Dance documentary.

That also meant he wanted to beat everyone and be labeled the best player in the league. He earned that distinction with his stellar performances, averaging 30.1 points per game throughout his career. He cemented himself as the NBA's best player with his dominance over his matchups and his continued success with the Bulls.

The general public did not know the hard work behind the scenes at first, but it became a popular topic for players. They knew MJ was obsessed with winning, so he showed strong competitive fire.

Jordan wanted to teach rookies a lesson

Since His Airness had to earn his keep of being a star during his rookie season, he wanted everyone coming into the league to meet that standard. Even when he retired after the 1998 Finals, he stayed around the Chicago training facility. During that time, he heard about a rookie named Corey Benjamin yapping around the team.

It incensed Jordan to play a one-on-one game against Benjamin , which he won 11-9. Since MJ was fresh into retirement, he was slightly out of shape, but he still beat Corey and taught him a valuable lesson about respecting his teammates.

Jordan's approach to rookies is that he wants them to learn how to act in the NBA. They do not have to be the stars, but they should always conduct themselves properly to command respect from the rest of the league like MJ did earlier in his career.

Related: "Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan” - ESPN's Jemele Hill on why a 28-year-old Kobe was already better than MJ