Michael Jordan's Confession About His Time In The NBA Left Him In Tears

When Michael Jordan broke down in tears when opening up about a particularly difficult time in his past, it left viewers reeling. Jordan – arguably the most famous and most iconic basketball player in history – had been asked to address an uncomfortable truth about his NBA career. But he ended up making an emotional confession that put his entire legacy under the spotlight.

Best in his field

Fans in any sport will always debate who the GOAT is: the Greatest of All-Time. And in basketball, the name most synonymous with that topic is Michael Jordan. Yes, there have been other great players like LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain, but none of them quite transcended the game like Jordan. He’s a genuine icon — though his brilliance came at a cost, it seems.

'It's going to be hell'

Reflecting on the sport in The Last Dance, Jordan was clear about how he played professional basketball. He said, “My mentality was to go out and win, at any cost. If you don’t want to live that regimented mentality, then you don’t need to be alongside of me. Cause I’m going to ridicule you until you get on the same level with me... It’s going to be hell for you.” It was a controversial approach, though one that certainly paid off.

Making history

To put his basketball prowess into context, Jordan is the highest scorer in NBA history. His career average of 30.1 points scored per game is the best the league has ever seen. But he wasn’t just an amazing attacking player; he was named defensive player of the year in 1988. On the basketball court, Jordan could do it all. It almost made him seem inhuman.

Endless accolades

Jordan was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) five times. And many believe the only reason he didn’t win more often was because basketball writers felt they couldn’t give it to him every year. Over the course of his career, Jordan was included in 10 All-NBA First Teams, which marked him as one of the top five players in the league for each of those seasons.