Michael Jordan is one of the most influential basketball players of all time.
After a tough start to his basketball journey in high school where there were doubts about him being able to play because of his size, Michael Jordan worked hard on himself to become one of the best ever.
He won six championships with the Chicago Bulls and every other laurel to cement his name in the history books.
Having been retired for 22 years, Jordan’s impact continues to be drawn with modern day players like Luka Doncic.
However, this did not happen with no practice, Jordan worked extremely hard on his skill and athleticism.
His former teammate Craig Hodges revealed what it was like to be in practice sessions with the legend.
One of the most intense fitness drills in basketball – Suicides are an exercise that every team incorporates in their sessions.
Hodges said in his four year stint as Jordan’s teammate, he never saw the six-time champion lose the drill.
He said: “I was with MJ four and a half years or whatever, never lost a suicide, never, never, never.
“And we would ask Phil [Jackson], how many we got after practice and he would ask us how many we want because we knew, he knew, we was trying to get him [MJ]
“It would be like this, me and BJ [BJ Armstrong], we going to go out hard on him, man.
“Soon as the whistle blow, he damn near coming back at us and this ain’t no joke, I’m running like I can run all day and I quick at some speed, but man it wasn’t even fair.”
Kobe Bryant was another player that has had a big influence on the game of basketball.
The LA Lakers players modelled his game after Jordan and considered the six-time champion his mentor.
Shaquille O’Neal recently asked Bryant to be added to the GOAT conversation as his resume demands that according to his former teammate.
After retiring, Hodges coached Bryant on ways he could improve his overall game.
As someone who played with Jordan and coached Bryant, Hodges was asked the difference between the two, Hodges had an interesting answer.
He said: “Kobe would be going to the line to shoot two, MJ was going to shoot and 1, so a lot of them knocks that Kobe had to shoot with two hands, when that knocks would happen, MJ put that bad boy over here [Palming the ball]
“That to me is the only difference, that gripper. Him and Dr J them hands , The creator knows who should have that.”
