Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball
Nasir Jabbar
Michael Jordan's former Chicago Bulls teammate once labelled him a 'psycho' for his bizarre pre-match superstition he had to do before every game.
Jordan enjoyed a legendary career NBA career, winning an impressive six championships with the Bulls.
He won three consecutive titles between 1990 and 1993 before winning a further three more titles on the bounce between 1995 and 1998.
Widely regarded as the basketball GOAT, Jordan leaned on a few superstitions, including a lesser-known superstition.
According to John Salley, Jordan would meticulously adjust his socks to ensure both were exactly the same length.
Advert
Salley, who played with him for one season, described it as a 'psycho' level of detail.
"He would sit there and tie his shoes, then look at his socks to make sure they were at the same height. It had to be perfect," he revealed on the Byron Scott's Fast Break podcast.
Jordan did not just rely on his physical talents as he created a method to ensure he was in the perfect mindset to dominate his opponents on the court.
He also wore his University of North Carolina (UNC) shorts under his Bulls kit.
Advert
'MJ' did this throughout his storied NBA career as he believed those shorts carried the same luck that helped him inspire his side to the 1982 NCAA Championship.
Incredibly, this superstition even influenced the Bulls' strip. The reason behind Jordan's longer shorts was to hide his UNC shorts underneath.
Jordan also had a ritual involving his shoes.
Advert
He would lace up a new pair of sneakers before EVERY match.
Speaking in an interview for NBA 2K14 back in 2014, he explained: "It made me feel like I had something to prove every night."