Michael Jordan Feared Only One Player Inside The Court, Former Teammate Says

Charlotte Hornets assistant GM Buzz Peterson revealed that Michael Jordan used to fear only one player inside the court.

Considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Jordan dominated the entire league and exceeded an array of NBA greats during his prime. Aside from being the GOAT, Jordan is known for his unparalleled winning mentality and competitiveness.

However, while the former Chicago Bulls superstar never backed down from anyone in the NBA, his former teammate at North Carolina revealed that Jordan often feared facing football player Lawrence Taylor inside the court.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Roderick Boone in April, Peterson recounted witnessing Jordan's progress into an ultimate basketball player at Chapel Hill. He said that Jordan was not usually intimidated by anyone inside the court during their years at North Carolina.

However, he claimed the then-6-foot-4 shooting guard would feel “a little fear” whenever Taylor would show up and play with him.

“There is one guy that I always thought, and I know to this day — I don’t know if Michael won’t admit or not, but I swear that he had a little bit of fear of — and it wasn’t a basketball player. It was a football player by the name of Lawrence Taylor. LT, phenomenal athlete,” Peterson recalled.

“Could guard east to west, as quick as anybody, could jump, big hands, strong and was a bit crazy,” he said of Taylor. “So Michael in the back of his mind said, ‘S--t, I better be careful with this guy.’ And LT always wanted to guard him.”

However, Jordan had no problem challenging pros and playing one-on-one against them.

“By the time we were going from our freshman into our sophomore year and were playing ball at Woollen Gym, the pros would come back, and Michael was the type of guy, he wanted to measure you,” the former Tar Heels guard recalled.

“So, ‘(James) Worthy, you are the best, so let me play one-on-one against Worthy.’ ‘Here comes Walter Davis.’ ‘Here comes Al Wood.’ ‘Here comes these guys who are pro. I want to play against them,’” he continued. “And that’s when you found out this guy can play with them. And he might’ve been just as good or better than them.”

But despite his immense talent, there is one thing Jordan may be unable to do when it comes to basketball, according to his former teammate. Peterson revealed during the interview that he told Jordan that he would not make a good coach as his expectations are too high and “tough.”