“Oh, come on! You’re not Michael Jordan” - How MJ employed a unique strategy to get away from the public eye

Despite the absence of social media in his era, Michael Jordan attained enormous fame, making him the most recognizable face in sports worldwide. Put simply, his popularity was so pervasive that it often deprived him of privacy, even for simple activities such as visiting a restaurant or using a bathroom alone. While this level of fanfare and following was humbling, it necessitated the five-time MVP to use unconventional means to evade the public eye.

MJ had no privacy

While superstars such as Larry Bird enjoyed considerable popularity, there were numerous instances where he had the freedom to enjoy a casual social setting, such as enjoying a beer in a bar with friends or teammates. However, Mike's fame and popularity prohibited all such luxuries. His idolization was so extensive, as revealed by Will Purdue, that there was an incident where a fan dared to intrude on MJ's privacy by sliding a note under the bathroom door , requesting an autograph.

Even the Chicago Bulls' senior public and media relations director acknowledged that the six-time Finals MVP's constant public scrutiny made it incredibly daunting for him to act appropriately. With the stakes always benign high, the 14-time All-Star was never permitted to even put a step wrong.

How did Jordan avoid the public eye?

Given Jordan's perpetual presence in the public eye, Ozzie Guillen was among the fortunate few who had the opportunity to spend time with His Airness during the latter's baseball career. Then, the World Series-winning former manager of the White Sox experienced one of the unique methods Jordan employed to evade public attention.

"Michael was driving his car. Some people would follow him everywhere," Guillen said . "All of a sudden he say, 'Hey, can we switch cars?'... We switch cars and I am driving to Sarasota. I turn around there's thousand people behind me. I stopped at Columbia restaurant in Sarasota, I come out of the car, people are like, 'Oh man, come on, you're not Michael Jordan.'"

Interestingly, while MJ could have potentially alleviated some of his public exposure by replacing his iconic 'JUMPMAN23' license plate, it appears that Jordan never had the opportunity to enjoy his fame in the way he wanted. This is precisely why Guillen promptly realized there was no use in being Michael Jeffrey Jordan after witnessing how fans harassed him.

Perhaps such an incident justifies why the six-time NBA Champ admitted in 'The Last Dance' documentary that he never truly embraced his fandom.

Related: When Michael Jordan slipped out of NY and gambled during the 1993 EC Finals: "We got a limo and went and gambled for a couple of hours and came back"