Michael Jordan’s competitive streak is legendary, but even the greatest basketball player of all time once underestimated the sport that would later become one of his lifelong passions: golf.
Before he became known for his intense rounds with fellow athletes and celebrities, Jordan viewed golf through a very different lens.
Long before he retired from basketball and began spending more time on the course, he admitted there was a time when he simply didn’t understand why people were drawn to it.
In a resurfaced interview, Jordan shared how his early perception of golf changed completely once he picked up a club himself and realised just how demanding it really was.
Michael Jordan admitted he once saw golf as a ‘sissy sport’
Speaking in a rare interview, Jordan said: “I would have loved that challenge. I always thought golf was, at a young time, you know, a sissy sport in some respects.
“And that was at a very childish age. I wasn’t attracted to it at the time.”
Jordan’s comments offered a rare look at his mindset during his youth, when his competitive instincts were already forming but focused entirely on basketball.
MJ’s early dismissal of golf reflected a misunderstanding of the game’s precision, patience, and mental strength, qualities he would later come to value deeply.
As his career progressed, Jordan’s curiosity and drive pushed him toward new challenges away from the court.
Golf became one of them, and it quickly turned into a key part of his post-NBA life. The very sport he once considered too calm soon revealed a level of difficulty that fascinated him as much as any one-on-one matchup.
Golf became Michael Jordan’s new competitive test
In that same interview, Jordan reflected on how his view of golf evolved over time. “And I think now, knowing the game, and knowing how challenging it is each and every time you step on the course.
“I would have loved to have that opportunity to challenge myself as often as the game challenges me now,” he said.
Those words captured how golf fits perfectly with Jordan’s relentless mindset. He discovered that every round, like every basketball game, offers a fresh test of focus and resilience.
The lack of physical contact didn’t lessen the competition; it made it more internal, a battle against his own mistakes and mental lapses.
Jordan has since become a fixture in the golfing world, playing alongside professionals and investing in the sport through his private course, Grove XXIII.
What began as an underestimation became a lifelong obsession, proving that even the fiercest competitors can find new arenas to test their will.
- Read More: Why Rickie Fowler said playing golf with Michael Jordan before tournaments is ‘beneficial’
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