If you have the immense happiness of meeting Michael Jordan in the street one day, he will probably answer you that it is not regarding himself… but rather regarding Leroy Smith. Why ? Who is he ? We look at one of running gags Her Majesty’s favourites.
Leroy Smith, you know? Nope ? It’s normal. Undrafted in 1985, the strong winger led a flat professional career for 5 years, without ever managing to tread an NBA floor. Nothing to talk regarding more than 3 decades later, so… with the only difference that this man is closely linked to Michael Jordanand has been for a very long time.
Leroy Smith, the one who made Michael Jordan a monster without wanting it
Born in 1963, Smith moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, at age 9. It is also in this city that a certain Michael Jordan grew up, and the two men found themselves on the same basketball team in high school. The following ? A GQ article tells it brilliantly:
When Michael Jordan is in public, he frequently thinks of a guy named Leroy Smith. Leroy was a friend of his in high school. In second, they each tried to integrate the varsity team of their establishment. Leroy was selected, and not Michael.
Annoyed at being cut, Jordan was also humiliated when during a playoff game he was not called by the coach and had to settle for handing out the towels like a steward. His parents were in the stands, and Michael never forgot their sadness. His pride was so touched that he started working on his game with tenfold aggressiveness this summer.
Now, when people come up to Jordan on the street and start staring at him or asking if he’s the famous basketball player, he holds out his hand, says, “Leroy Smith, delighted!” », smiles, and continues on his way. He always remembers Leroy Smith in those moments, and always thanks him silently.
Why ? Because that name takes him back to a time when, as Michael says, “I was nobody. He was better than me. People knew him before they knew me”. It was a time when he learned humility, and how stardom is regarding nothing. So across the country, in hotel lobbies, malls and elsewhere, Michael finds solace in the name of Leroy Smith. It’s his way of keeping his feet on the ground, and remembering who he was, who he is, and who he will be.
Leroy Smith may have had a very disappointing career, he will forever remain the one who motivated Michael Jordan to become a monster, and the one for whom Her Majesty has long been passed off in the street. After all, it is well worth many awards in the NBA!
