Michael Jordan was no different from the millions of kids who dream of making it in sports. He was just like them, but on a much bigger stage. He dreamed of being a professional basketball player, just like every other kid. He was a kid who grew up in the Bible Belt. Most kids his age dreamed about getting famous and being a star. Michael Jordan was no exception. He wanted to be the best. Michael Jordan is arguably the best player ever to play professional basketball.
After a stint at Oak Hill Academy, Michael Jordan went on to become a basketball phenom at the University of North Carolina. Along the way, he became known for taking his game to new levels, and he was named a member of the All American team twice.
Throughout his NBA career, basketball fans couldn’t take their eyes off Michael Jordan. His play on the basketball court was a staple on television. However, when Jordan was a star at Emsley A. Laney High School in North Carolina, he caught the attention of the future Pro Football Hall of Fame, who was also a solid basketball star at the time. That future Hall of Fame member was former Minnesota Vikings receiver Chris Carter.
COMPARED TO: Michael Jordan hasn’t played basketball in years, but he’s still nervous because of a superstition In high school, Carter was an athlete in two sports, basketball and football. He even got offers from a couple of big basketball schools. His brother Butch played at Bobby Knight College in Indiana, then played six years in the NBA. According to the Dayton Daily News, Carter scored 1,299 points in his high school career for the team from Middletown, Ohio. As a senior, he averaged 21.8 points per game and was named team MVP. However, he also became the MVP of the football team that year and then enrolled at Ohio State to play college football. After a successful career at Ohio State, where he caught 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1986, Carter was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Supplemental Draft.
He had success with the Eagles from 1987 to 1989 before becoming a star with the Minnesota Vikings in 1990. Carter has scored over 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons with the Vikings. He also led the NFL in catches (122 in 1994) and touchdowns in three different seasons. He has made it to the Pro Bowl eight times in his career and has been selected to the All-Pro first team twice. His 1,101 career receptions (sixth all-time), 13,899 yards (13th all-time) and 130 touchdowns (fourth all-time) earned Carter a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But before he became a football legend, Carter went to basketball camp with Michael Jordan.
Chris Carter went to basketball camp with Michael Jordan in high school
NBA legend Michael Jordan. | Jonathan Daniel/Alsport COMPARED TO: Michael Jordan is so good at golf that a pro recently said playing with him was good for his game. In 2017, Carter appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, where he talked about attending the same basketball camp as Jordan and other future NBA legends. I went to a summer basketball camp, Five Stars, near Pittsburgh with guys named Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan, Carter said during the 25th anniversary episode. January 2017. I watched Michael Jordan play basketball for a few years when he was 17-18 years old.
And after seeing him on the field with over 200 coaches during the All-Star Game in camp, I have no doubt that Michael Jordan is truly something special. Carter later said Jordan was a more athletic version of Julius Erving. And he could shoot better than Julius Erving, Carter said. And he was angry. He played defense. We play outside on the hardwood, the wind blows, and it’s 17; it’s relentless. He could score, he could play anything, he played defense, he tried to block all the shots. So Carter knew at a young age that Jordan was going to be special. But he probably didn’t realize how special he was.
Michael Jordan went from high school star to NBA legend
. COMPARED TO: Michael Jordan met superstar actor Michael B. Jordan : I don’t think he even knew who I was. After graduation, Jordan went to North Carolina where he became one of the best players in the country for the Tar Heels. This led to him being chosen third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft and becoming a legend. In addition to leading the Bulls to six NBA titles and two three-win seasons, Jordan also accomplished the following great feats:
- 14 times star
- Five-time NBA MVP
- Six-time NBA Finals MVP
- 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year
- 32,292 career points (#5 in history)
- 30.1 points per game in his career (#1 all-time)
- 2,514 flights (#3 all-time)
Michael Jordan is perhaps the ultimate NBA hero. But his potential was clear when he was a star in high school. Statistics provided by Sports Reference, Pro Football Reference and Basketball Reference