“He drove us so hard that he literally drove people off the team” – Steve Kerr on the high standard Michael Jordan demanded from his teammates originally appeared on Basketball Network.
If there was one teammate, apart from Scottie Pippen, who truly experienced the full force of Michael Jordan’s intensity as a teammate during his prime, it was Steve Kerr. From an infamous preseason altercation with MJ to being trusted with the most crucial shot of the 1997 NBA Finals, Kerr truly saw both the fire and faith of the six-time Finals MVP.
Advertisement
Having lived those moments, Kerr undoubtedly has one of the clearest perspectives on what it was to share a locker room with MJ. And by Kerr’s own admission, Jordan was anything but an easy teammate, as he constantly pushed the button for those around him to elevate their gameplay. Ironically enough, that was the same trait that Kerr feels made the Chicago Bulls into one of the greatest dynasties in basketball history.
Steve Kerr on Michael Jordan pushing his teammates
During his appearance on ‘The Glue Guys Podcast,’ Kerr was asked how he felt when Jordan publicly acknowledged his clutch shot in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz. For Kerr, that admission was surprising, particularly given the amount of time he had spent in the league and having already won a championship with Jordan. He felt that he earned the respect of each Bulls player much earlier than that moment.
Advertisement
Thus, that moment only reinforced Kerr’s narrative that Jordan wasn’t an easy teammate to please.
“I was thinking the same thing when he said that. I’m in my ninth year and I just now earned stripes? But that was his way,” Kerr said while bursting out laughing. “He was not an easy teammate. He drove us so hard and held everyone to such high standards that he literally drove people off the team.”
The Chicago Bulls wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for Jordan
Moreover, Kerr openly admitted that meeting Jordan’s high standards during practices was a constant challenge, as the continuous intimidation and pressure faced were often overwhelming. However, Kerr also emphasized that every player understood their purpose; it wasn’t personal, but about making the team mentally collected. By enduring Jordan’s demands in practice, the Bulls reached a point where no in-game challenge felt impossible to overcome.
Advertisement
“His theory was that if you couldn’t stand the heat in practice from him, then you wouldn’t be able to handle the heat of the NBA Finals,” Kerr added. “The beauty of it was, as difficult as it could be to be his teammate and live up to all that, you always knew you were going to win because he was on your team. You just had to bring your best self.”
Safe to say that Jordan’s methods of leading a team might have been viewed as antagonistic by conventional standards of what an ideal leader should be, especially compared to the more benevolent approaches of 1980s icons like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson. But for the Bulls to practically own an entire decade, Jordan’s villain-like intimidation was perhaps necessary, and Kerr truly recognized that.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.