A teammate of MJ during his time at Washington Wizards tells what it was like to work with him and how that inspired him.
Michael Jordan’s magic is recognized around the world, as is his work ethic in which he pushed his teammates to be the best they can and his off-the-court activities such as betting on golf matches or card games. For many, the ‘best player in history’ had a somewhat intolerant character and was not accepted by everyone in the NBA.
One of these figures who did not take His Majesty’s attitudes very well was the No. 1 pick in the 2001 Draft, center Kwame Brown. The player had time for several franchises and shared a team with Michael Jordan between his Rookie season and 2003. At that time he was an 18-year-old boy who had entered the League without going through university and was surprised by the way train from ’23’.
In an episode of the Swish Cultures podcast, Brown revealed: “No, I’m not a fan of MJ. Listen to me, I have no reason to be. “That bastard slapped me on the back of the head one day.”said the former player who played his last season in the best basketball league in the world in 2013. Jordan maintained an extreme training routine that began at 5 am. approximately, even if he had been up late betting. “That old black man kept getting up early to train at the age of 39, when he no longer had anything to prove to anyone”commented the Pivot.
And he added: “He never cheated in the game, neither when he went out, nor when he did what he did. The ‘Breakfast Club’ was real. I joined him because I couldn’t believe it.”Brown said in the podcast. In the two seasons in which number 23 participated in his third stage in the NBA, he averaged just over 20 points, about six rebounds and four assists, with 43% from the field and 80% in free throws at almost 40 years old. .
But what was the Breakfast Club?
At the time when the Chicago Bulls needed a link that would allow them to cut off egos and everything that threatened their intentions of creating a dynasty in the NBA again, Michael came up with an interesting idea that could put an end to all the problems. : Gym sessions in your own mansion with Tim Grover, followed by breakfasts prepared by your personal chef.
Between weights, golf games and orange juices, Jordan managed to create a relaxed atmosphere to talk about everything except basketball, chatting as friends more than teammates and creating the desired chemistry that Jackson had asked for from his prodigal son. When the press began to find out what happened, they called it the ‘Breakfast Club’, because it happened in the early hours of the morning.
Ron Harper and Scottie Pippen were the most common players, but such was the club’s fame that many even say that on some occasions Dennis Rodman, who did not like to train, joined. This link was key and nodal. It allowed them to forge connections that led them to championships and Brown added to this when His Majesty passed through the Washington Wizards.
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