June 5, 1998; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan in game two of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY

Michael Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest player of all time. One of the reasons he is considered the GOAT is his extremely competitive nature. He hated losing and had a strong desire to prove people wrong. And, it’s thanks to this nature that he was able to thrive early on in his career. After all, joining the Chicago Bulls in the 80s, MJ entered a locker room that was plagued by addictions. Whether it was drugs or alcohol, abuse was rampant and Jordan was surrounded by it. Nevertheless, his competitiveness prevented him from falling in. As revealed in the book Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby, former Bulls PR man explained how Michael Jordan’s desire not to expose any weaknesses to his opponents stopped him from getting into drugs and alcohol.

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Former Bulls PR man claims Michael Jordan’s competitiveness stopped him from getting into drugs and alcohol

In the 1980s, the NBA wasn’t as focused on health and fitness as it is today. Rather, several teams suffered from major drug and alcohol abuse. The addictions were commonplace in every team’s locker room, and this was especially true for the Chicago Bulls. Almost every player on the roster had some kind of addiction.

However, this wasn’t the case for His Airness. Having been drafted to the team in 1984, there were plenty of opportunities for MJ to be reeled in by all the abuse around him. But, as former Bulls PR man Tim Hallan recalled, Michael Jordan’s highly competitive nature prevented him from doing so. After all, he had no intention of exposing a single weakness to any of his opponents.

“As Bulls PR man Tim Hallam explained, Jordan was much too competitive to pay mind to either drugs or alcohol. That would have meant exposing a weakness to an opponent, something Jordan would never do.”

Over the course of his career, Jordan has always been anti-drugs as he should be. He has even done several Anti-Drug PSA some of which have maintained their notoriety to this day. But, what’s more important is how his mental toughness and strong drive to be the best prevented him from falling in early on in his career.

The Chicago Bulls were close to insolvency before Jordan came around

Prior to Michael Jordan’s drafting in 1984, the Chicago Bulls were in shambles. Their players had a slew of problems, with a huge cocaine addiction being No.1 on the list. Drug abuse was at an all-time high and greatly affected players and in turn performances on the court. This coupled with various other issues led to a loss of faith in the team.

By the spring of 1984, the Bulls had lost the support of the city of Chicago. Protests over the retaining of some of the team’s more unsavory talents led to financial instability. Tickets were left unsold and sponsors refused to sign on with the team. It even reached a point where the franchise was facing insolvency.

Fortunately, the arrival of MJ completely turned things around for the Bulls. His Airness led the team to new heights, and it is thanks to him that they are one of the most respected organizations in basketball.