Luc Longley knew of the Chicago Bulls and their basketball excellence. The Australian was well aware that he was in a good place when the team traded for him in the 1993-94 season.
But the following year, Luc met Michael Jordan , the guy responsible for putting the Bulls on the basketball map, and the big smile was wiped off his face. Longley admitted that he disliked MJ when they first met. The center recalled heated encounters with the guard, whom he claimed was the main instigator.
The evolution of Longley’s relationship with the GOAT
” I’d have to say after he came back, I didn’t like the guy ,” Longley wrote in Running With the Bulls, per The Ringer . ” I found him difficult to be around, and he and I obviously didn’t see eye-to-eye. We were at each other’s throats in practice, and that was a case of frustration from both of us, mostly from him. ”
Jordan getting into quarrels with his teammates was a common sight. As detailed in The Last Dance, MJ’s leadership style verged on tyranny. His philosophy was that practices had to be more intense than the actual games. That’s how soldiers prepare for war.