Michael Jordan is one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. He took basketball to all corners of the globe and made Nike a household name. No doubt he was a great ambassador for the game.
Rodney McCray was Jordan’s team-mate in 1992–1993 season. According to reports, Jordan bullied, intimidated and insulted McCray during practice. He would apparently call McCray a loser and Jordan’s constant rebukes reduced McCray to a shell of his former self. After the 1993 season, which incidentally the Chicago Bulls won, McCray never played another season in the NBA. He was just 31 years of age.
Michael Jordan wasn’t all evil. He also championed a few players like Scottie Pippen and Ron Harper who raised their game under him. No one wins championships by themselves. And great players like Jordan have the luxury of negative PR about them being thwarted and minimised so most people will only read about their victories and achievements.
Rodney McCray might not have ranked among the greats but I don’t think anyone will begrudge him the right to be treated humanly and not be berated constantly.
This isn’t unique to professional sport where the pressure is immense and the stakes are high.
Losing your footing or your confidence after a bad break is something that can affect anyone. It can be a toxic culture, being constantly put down in an unsupportive environment, being overlooked for something or being let down by someone you trusted.
Remain in a bad situation too long and it’s easy to believe that is your reality. Rodney McCray couldn’t overcome the negativity heaped upon him and that ended his NBA career. That doesn’t have to be the fate of anyone who is in a similar situation.
The only cushion when things go awry is resilience and boundless optimism.
Luckily, both can be learned.
