Former Washington Wizards center Brendan Haywood has an array of Michael Jordan stories to share. In most of them, they interacted, and he learned something valuable from MJ.
One of the things Haywood would never forget was the day Jordan taught him a lesson about work ethic. According to Haywood, it happened during a team practice in the middle of the season.
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Haywood remembered that the veterans weren’t required to join the practice that day, but to his surprise, Jordan was already there. When the young big man asked Mike why he decided to practice instead of just resting, he got an epic response from the GOAT in his signature style.
“I think I got in at like 10 [a.m.]. And I got there and I heard a ball bouncing. Mike was on the court, already sweated out,” Haywood told The Ringer in 2018. “He was finishing his workout. I got there at 10, everyone had an off day, some of the other young guys were getting there. He was finishing his workout. And I was like, “Mike, what are you doing here, man? It’s your day off.” And he was like, “You’re asking the wrong questions. The question is not ‘You’re asking what am I doing here?’ The question is, ‘Why’d I beat you?'”
The Wizards learned the importance of discipline
Whenever Haywood reflected on his time with Jordan, it wasn’t the GOAT aura or the signature moves that he often recalls. Instead, it was MJ’s remarkable discipline.
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As youngsters, Haywood and the rest of the Wizards players didn’t really have an idea about what professionalism truly means in the NBA. A 40-year-old Jordan showed them.
“It was little things like that that you always take with you,” Haywood further reflected. “At 40 years old, he was still the guy who was showing up at 8 o’clock to get his work done and do what he needed to do even though, at that point, he was already known as the most successful player of all time.”
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Jordan had to lead by example
Haywood wasn’t the only former Wizards player who treasures everything he learned from Jordan. Like Haywood, Tyronn Lue was also in awe of MJ’s mentality as a player and a leader.
To this day, Lue still vividly recalls a dialogue he had with the man who won everything there is in basketball. He was also wondering why, out of all the players, MJ was the one working the hardest.
Similar to what Haywood experienced, Lue also heard one of the most captivating answers from Jordan.
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“[I’m like] MJ, why don’t you sit down? ‘How can I be the leader of the team and sit out and y’all going through all of it? I gotta be there, or I lose my power as being a leader. Like I can’t tell you what to do if I’m sitting on the sideline.’ It was like, damn, he’s 40 years old on one leg, the greatest of all time,” Lue once said.
In retrospect, Haywood and Lue were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn directly from Jordan. By interacting with MJ and constantly watching him, Haywood and Lue understood that true and unparalleled greatness could only be achieved through hard work and discipline.
Moreover, as they closely observed a 40-year-old Jordan, they also realized that there should be no excuses and no short cuts.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.