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How Michael Jordan changed Bobby Knight's style of coaching in the 1984 Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles saw the Olympic debut of His Airness, Michael Jordan. Long before NBA players were allowed to participate in the Olympics, the United States men's national basketball team was composed of collegiate standouts. For this competition, the USA was represented by future NBA stars such as Jordan, Sam Perkins, Patrick Ewing, and Chris Mullin. Indiana's Bobby Knight coached the team.
At the time, Knight was known for his tough and demanding coaching style. He expected a lot from his players and wasn't afraid to call them out if they weren't performing up to par. During the Olympics, though, Jordan quickly asserted himself as a leader and began taking control on the court. His ability to see the court, anticipate what would happen next, and make plays even Knight hadn't thought of profoundly affected the team.
Undisputed leader
According to Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, Jordan was the undisputed leader of that gold medal-winning squad. While there were plenty of standouts, Jordan stood head and shoulders above everyone else.
"I played with him in '84 during the Olympics and roomed with him that summer quite a bit. He led in every category on that team with some great players. Wayman Tisdale, Patrick [Ewing], Sam [Perkins]. But Michael was our guy. He led that team," said Mullin.
Breaking the norm
Mullin narrated that during that time, many teams played zone defense, leaving the middle of the court vacant for their team to exploit. Knight placed Jordan in the keyhole area and tasked him with controlling the middle. However, there was one move that Jordan routinely made that nearly drove Knight crazy.
"Bobby Knight would get angry with him because he would leave his feet. He would turn, survey the situation and take a dribble or maybe not and raise up. He would hang in the air for so long he'd either find shooters in the corner or find Wayman and Patrick for dunks," shared Mullin.
It was a move that grated Knight's nerves, but it proved to be a winning strategy.
"Bobby was like, 'Fundamentally, you don't leave your feet to pass.' But they made a deal, when you turn the ball over you have to stop doing it. He never turned the ball over. He was that good. He actually turned Bobby Knight's thinking. You have to make exceptions for the great ones," Mullin said.
Jordan proved instrumental in helping the USA realize their gold medal ambitions, as he averaged 17 points per game and helped the team cap the tournament off with a dominant 96-65 win over Spain.
