Michael Jordan built a dynasty for the Chicago Bulls by pushing himself and everyone around him to the edge.
He led with intensity, a demanding tone and often unapologetic confrontation. It wasn’t pretty, but it produced six titles, two three-peats and an unmatched competitive legacy.
Advertisement
Still, not everyone admired the approach. Former NBA point guard and coach Mark Jackson stands on his principles.
Had he and Mike ever shared a locker room, things wouldn’t have gone smoothly.
Jordan’s intensity
“His Airness’s” leadership has long been dissected for its brutal honesty and sometimes uncomfortable aggression. His teammates endured his wrath — especially those he didn’t think were pulling their weight. Not everyone would have endured that.
“I’ve had tough teammates, but not like that,” “Action” said, reflecting on Michael’s tough style. “Nobody’s gonna tell me I can’t have a bite on the plane because I didn’t play well — that’s not going to happen.”
Advertisement
One of the most infamous moments came aboard a team flight after a poor performance. Jordan reportedly told the flight attendant not to serve food to Bulls forward Horace Grant, saying he didn’t deserve to eat. It wasn’t a joke. And it wasn’t the only time Michael’s leadership crossed into personal territory.
Jackson spent 17 seasons in the league, went head-to-head with MJ’s Bulls during the 1990s and later coached some of the NBA’s brightest stars. He’s been around every kind of competitor, but Jordan’s brand of leadership crossed a line that Mark couldn’t contain.
Mike’s fire torched through the league — he led the NBA in scoring 10 times, earned six Finals MVPs and five MVP awards and carried the Bulls to two separate three-peats. But the retired guard’s point struck at something deeper: the difference between being tough and being disrespectful. And to Jackson, the line mattered.
Built different, but not the same
“Action’s” vision of leadership was cut from a different cloth. He came up in the late ’80s and ’90s — an era thick with grit, pain tolerance and relentless defense. The men he called teammates and leaders — Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Reggie Miller — weren’t soft by any measure.
Advertisement
“I had tough teammates in the mindset of Pat Ewing, in the mindset of Charles Oakley, in the mindset of Reggie Miller,”the 6’1” guard said. “It’s a different brand of toughness… There’s no question about [Jordan’s] brand of leadership.”
Mark acknowledged that Jordan’s model worked — it bred championships. But it wasn’t universal, not everyone was built for a MJ-style leadership. That kind of abrasive, ego-challenging energy wasn’t going to fly in every locker room. Certainly not in Jackson’s.
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers — two teams the shifty guard played for during his prime years — embodied a more blue-collar form of leadership. They were hard-nosed, physical and loyal to a fault. Teammates in those systems could challenge one another, but mutual respect always grounded the confrontation.
Even the most heated battles, whether in practice or games, had a code. Calling someone out in front of the team was one thing. Denying them food as punishment wasn’t seen as leadership but as bullying and humiliation.
Advertisement
Jackson played with over 10 NBA All-Stars during his career, dished over 10,000 assists and helped shape rosters that took down juggernauts — or at least made them bleed. He played under coaches like Larry Brown, Rick Pitino and Larry Bird. His basketball IQ was trusted.