Michael Jordan’s on-court killer instinct elevated him from an extremely talented ball player into a championship-collecting global phenomenon.
While tales of his merciless treatment of opponents, teammates and animated bad guys are well documented, the question of how he came to be the most ruthless player in NBA history remains*.
So we ask: who, or what, is responsible for inspiring a country boy from Wilmington to become a cold-hearted hardwood assassin?
The answer seemingly lies in the 1981-82 North Carolina basketball yearbook, where the players were asked a series of harmless questions—one of which was “Movie You Most Enjoyed.”
Before we get to MJ’s response, let’s have a look at some from his teammates:
1. Finnish-born sophomore Timo Makkonen said Deer Hunter. That’s a damn good answer from a 20-year-old and it’s no surprise he went on to be the “vice-president and CFO of Cornerstone Management & Consulting in Waterbury, Conn., a company that counts among many operations the management of four restaurants owned by his former Tar Heels teammate Michael Jordan.”
2. Our very own Cecil Exum loved Friday the 13th, a low-budget horror/slasher that would become one of the most lucrative franchises in American cinema history. It stars Kevin Bacon, so we’re a bit embarrassed to admit we haven’t seen it. We do own a copy of The River Wild though.
3. Senior Jeb Barlow named the 1969 family movie My Side of the Mountain his all-time favourite. He was a wild one that Jeb.
As for Mike, well, he offered up this:
We’re assuming that, rather than the 1977 Italian crime drama, he meant the Paul Kyriazi kung fu trainwreck:
NEXT TIME I’M GONNA USE *PAUSE* TWO SWORDS!
Though at times difficult to watch, the message in Weapons of Death is clear: the only way to win is to murder everyone, without hesitation or remorse.
Mike did that.
Furthermore, it explores the concept of developing new skills to become more lethal.
Mike did that too.
And lastly, it teaches us to embrace taking the shot in crunch time.
Mike always did that (including the bucket to win the NCAA championship that season).
We’re reasonably convinced that Michael Jordan’s take-no-prisoners, make-no-friends approach to the game, and his resulting success, can be directly attributed to a B-grade martial arts romp from 1981.
Though it is unlikely you share the same belief, we hope you feel there is a need for someone to Photoshop Curry, Klay and KD head shots into the title screen:
Until next time, make sure you use two swords.
* Actually, it’s probably well documented in a book by Roland Lazenby.
