We all know Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. But even MJ had that one guy he could never beat. The only player Michael admitted was better than him. Who other than his older brother Larry Jordan.
It may be hard to believe, but Michael Jordan was not always the best basketball player around; not even in his family. We all know the infamous story of MJ getting cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore. But what you didn’t know was that his older brother Larry Jordan, as the junior, was the best player on that team. At just 5’8″ and with a 44 inch vertical, Larry was a much better player at the time. Their own father, James Jordan, was also of that opinion.
During their younger days, Larry and Michael would always go 1-on-1, as Larry would crush Michael every time. Classic older brother stuff. The young Michael just wanted to be like his older brother. So he emulated the way Larry played, shot, and moved on the court, trying to be exactly like him. Being just a year older made Larry superior compared to Michael.
But then everything changed. In the summer from Michael’s sophomore to junior year, he had an amazing growth spurt. He went from being just 5’9″ to 6’4″ in under a year. It allowed Michael, for the first time, to have the upper hand over his brother. It would allow them to play together for the first time, as Laney High School became Michael’s team. Larry himself had to admit it, as he said Michael was doing everything on the court while completely taking his game to the next level.
Michael went from playing in JV to being an All-American under two years, all while averaging 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists per game. We all know where his career went from there. But no matter what, to this day, Michael believes his brother always stayed the better player.
“When you say Air Jordan, I’m #2, he’s 1!”
Michael Jordan
When you look at this footage, you can see where Michael got his playstyle from. You know Larry was the real deal when someone with Michael’s competitive drive admitted he was better. It is unbelievable that at his size, Larry could dunk like his much taller brother Michael. If he had just a couple of inches more to his height, we could have had two Jordans running the NBA. Too bad we couldn’t see them both make it. But we will settle with the one.