Michael Jordan didn’t walk into Chapel Hill as a guaranteed star. Coming out of Laney High School, he had raw talent but not yet the polish that Dean Smith demanded. The North Carolina program was loaded with experience, and Smith’s philosophy emphasized structure and team play. Some argue the Hall of Fame coach may have limited Jordan offensively, but MJ doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t think so,” Jordan told Larry King, who asked if Smith indeed held him back. “I didn’t think of it that way. What he taught me was other values to the game than just offense. You come out of high school, you have a lot of raw talent, a lot of raw ability. When I went to the University of North Carolina, I learned the fundamentals of the game, the mind, and the thought process that comes along with the game.”
“Once I got to this level, I put two and two together, and evolved as a complete player,” the Chicago Bulls legend added.
Smith’s influence on Jordan
Dean may not have handed Michael the keys to the Tar Heel offense right away, but there was a method to it. With proven veterans like James Worthy and Sam Perkins already in place, the Kansas native focused on teaching Jordan how to fit into a winning system before asking him to lead one. That early structure laid the groundwork for the complete player MJ would eventually become.The influence Smith had over Jordan was evident right from the get-go. The six-time NBA champion credited his old coach for his greatness, especially in harnessing his physical gifts. After all, you cannot play hoops running in one gear, and as any true fan knows, the game is often more mental than physical.
Still, MJ’s bond with the Hall of Fame coach went beyond a typical mentor-mentee relationship. When Larry King mentioned that Smith may have misused him at UNC, Jordan shared that Dean himself would joke about it. That kind of exchange reflected the trust and familiarity they built, which Mike even likened to his relationship with his parents.
“Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith,” Jordan said during Smith’s passing in 2015. “He was more than a coach; he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him, and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We’ve lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players, his staff, and the entire UNC family.”
Meeting for the first time
People knew Smith as a “my way or the highway” type of coach. He was rigid and combative and would readily dismiss others who questioned his methods. This reputation had MJ scared for a moment, but he instantly recognized there was more to the man than meets the eye.
“Scared. Intimidated. I mean, his reputation preceded him. I was pretty nervous about it, but he was easy to talk to. Very knowledgeable. Very caring coach,” Jordan recalled meeting Smith for the first time.
From then on, Jordan never forgot Smith’s lessons, especially the value of mastering the basics and the game’s nuances. Dean carried those principles, giving Michael a foundation that supported the competitiveness and skill he would later unleash at full speed in the pros.
While some still question whether Smith should have given Jordan more freedom at UNC, MJ doesn’t share that view. The restraint many mistook as a limitation was, in his eyes, a lesson in balance and preparation. And without it, the player who became the face of basketball might have taken a different path.
