When Michael was eleven years old, his father – James Jordan, had a basketball court made in his backyard. He opened the court to the neighborhood but had strict family rules. The author of the book talks about the court and the rules and says, “By the time Michael was eleven, James Jordan had purchased the family’s first basketball, and soon after he put the finishing touches on the court. The Jordans’ backyard soon attracted players from around the neighborhood, but the Jordan family rules applied. Homework had to be completed before anyone took to the court, and the eight o’clock bedtime remained strictly enforced.”Who would have thought that the court would produce the greatest player in the history of the game? Without realizing it, James had set up the building blocks for the six-time NBA champion because there happened the most intense competition between two brothers – Michael and Larry Jordan. A competition that could only be stopped by their mother.
The author quotes, “Still, the main event every day became Michael versus Larry in titanic games of one-on-one. Though Jordan was nearly a year younger, he already stood above his stronger, older brother. Michael was mouthier, but they both talked trash, anything to get under the other’s skin. The contests quickly turned physical, then heated. When the yelling and arguing grew to a pitch, Deloris Jordan would step to the back door to enforce the peace.”
Larry Jordan was considered the better player in the family for most of Michael’s childhood. This ignited a fire inside the future NBA superstar that compelled him to practice day and night. The book reads, “Day after day after day, they went at each other, with Larry able to use his strength to dominate his younger brother despite the height disadvantage. The constant thumpings from his shorter brother hammered at Jordan’s young psyche. The pattern of defeat would stretch out for more than a year and a
half.” The above lines from the author puts into perspective the competitive nature of the NBA legend.
James Jordan acknowledged that Larry played a vital role in Michael reaching the pinnacle of the sport. He said, “I think Michael got so good because Larry used to beat him all the time. He took it hard.” Michael remembered the fights with his brother and said, “I always played hard. My brother and I would play every day until my mother had to call us in.… We never thought of brotherhood at all. Sometimes it would end in fighting.” In the end, the Jordan family would feel like – ‘All’s well, that ends well.’
Much like James Jordan’s backyard court, if Michael didn’t have Larry, it is unlikely he would have ever even made it to the NBA. The sheer competitive spirit of the family is what fueled him to become the greatest ever. And now, as he sits atop his throne, he can look down at his journey and feel beyond satisfied with everything he has done in his journey.
Michael Jordan is humble enough to admit that his elder brother – Larry Jordan, was the better player in the family. Until Michael had a growth outburst, which propelled him to 6ft 6in, he would get his behind kicked by his short brother. The NBA Hall of Famer talked about his brother unable to gain inches and said, “If he was 6’2, I would have been known as Larry’s brother.”
Well! These comments by Michael make us wonder what it would have been like to have the Jordans compete against each other on the NBA court. Micahel referred to his elder brother as the original Air Jordan and said, “When you say Air Jordan, I’m #2, he’s 1!” Despite not being able to make it to the league, Larry was often seen celebrating beside Michael and enjoying his success.
