Michael Jordan — The Kid They Cut From the
Team
The greatest of all time was once told he wasn't good enough.
In 1978, a sophomore named Michael Jordan tried out for his
high school varsity basketball team in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was good
— but not tall enough, the coaches decided. They cut him. They put a taller player
on the roster and sent Michael Jordan home in tears.
Most kids would have quit. Michael took that rejection and lit a fire that never
went out. He arrived at practice before everyone, stayed after everyone left, and
shot until his arms burned. By his junior year, nobody could cut him again.
He became a college champion, then the greatest player the NBA has ever seen —
six championships, five MVP awards, and a legacy of clutch moments. Whenever
someone asks him the secret, he points to that day he was cut. “Whenever I was
working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop,” he said, “I’d close my eyes
and see that list in the gym without my name on it, and that usually got me going
Michael Jordan — The Kid They Cut From the team
