Michael Jordan was enjoying a quiet Sunday morning, the familiar rhythm of his life settled into the post-retirement calm. He had his routine—early workout, protein shake, and three hours spent in his home office reviewing game tapes of young basketball players. It was a typical day for the basketball legend, who had long since left the game that made him famous.
But then, the phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but something about it made Michael hesitate. He usually ignored unknown numbers, but this time, he answered.
“Hello?” His voice was calm, deep, a reflection of his usual composure.
On the other end of the line, a woman’s voice trembled. “Michael… It’s Iris.”
Iris. His sister. The name hit him like a wave, sweeping away the calm of his morning. It had been twenty years since they had spoken—since their father’s funeral, when harsh words had been exchanged, and their relationship had fallen into silence. The grief of losing their father had created a chasm between them that neither could bridge.
“Twenty years,” Michael said, his voice flat, a mix of anger and confusion swirling inside him. “Why now?”
“I wouldn’t call if it weren’t important,” Iris replied quickly, sensing his mixed emotions. “I need to talk to you about Dad.”
Michael’s heart skipped a beat. Their father, James Jordan, had been murdered in 1993, a random carjacking, everyone thought. But Iris’s words, trembling with urgency, suggested there was more to the story.
“I know what happened to Dad,” Iris continued, her voice wavering but determined. “But it wasn’t a random carjacking. He wasn’t just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was targeted.”
Michael felt his stomach churn. This wasn’t the conversation he expected, not from his estranged sister. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice softening.
“I think Dad was murdered to protect someone,” Iris said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “To protect people involved in something big—gambling, game-fixing, money laundering.”
The words echoed in Michael’s mind. His father had always been his rock, his biggest supporter. The idea that he could have been involved in something as dark as organized crime was hard to believe. But Iris sounded too serious to dismiss.
“I need to see you,” Iris said urgently. “There’s more. A lot more.”
Michael walked away from his desk, his mind racing. Twenty years of silence and now this? Something in her voice made him agree to meet. “Fine,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I’ll meet you. Carter’s Place, Route 14. Noon.”
The call ended, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts. His mind raced as he prepared to meet Iris. Whatever she had to say, it was big—bigger than the family secrets he had already buried. His father’s death had always been an open wound, one that had never fully healed.
Noon came, and Michael arrived at Carter’s Place, a small diner 20 minutes outside of the city. It was the same place he and Iris had visited when they were kids, the memories of simpler times flooding his mind. But as he entered the diner and saw Iris sitting in the corner booth, he realized how much had changed.
She looked older, wearier. Her once sharp eyes were now tired, shadowed by the weight of the secrets she’d been carrying alone for two decades.
“You look the same,” Iris said, her voice soft.
Michael nodded, though the years had clearly taken a toll on both of them. He could feel the tension in the air, the years of silence hanging between them. As they sat down, neither spoke at first. The waitress came over, and after ordering, Iris placed a thick manila folder on the table between them.
“What is it?” Michael asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I found something,” Iris said, her voice trembling as she opened the folder. “Evidence. About Dad’s death.”
She slid the papers toward him, photographs, police reports, and newspaper clippings—documents that had been hidden for years, kept out of the public eye. Michael’s eyes scanned the papers, his heart pounding. The more he read, the more he felt like the world he knew was unraveling.
Their father’s murder wasn’t random. He had been targeted by powerful people connected to gambling and money laundering. And the person who orchestrated it all? A man named Victor Ree, a shadowy figure from their father’s past.
“Iris, why didn’t you tell me this before?” Michael asked, his voice thick with emotion. “Why keep this from me for twenty years?”
“I couldn’t,” Iris whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “I was scared. Scared for you, for the family. I didn’t want to drag you into this… but it’s the truth. Dad died trying to protect you.”
Michael sat back, the words crashing over him. He had never imagined that his father’s death was part of a larger conspiracy, one that involved money, power, and crime. His father had been trying to protect him from the very thing that had nearly destroyed his life—his gambling addiction. And now, it seemed, the people behind it were still out there, watching, waiting.
“We need to find out who did this,” Michael said, his voice cold and determined. “And I need to face them.”
“I think I know who it is,” Iris replied, her voice steady now. “We need to talk to Elden.”
Elden Wilson, their father’s best friend, had been the one person who had always been there for Michael and Iris. But after their father’s death, he had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but questions. Iris believed he had answers—answers that could finally uncover the truth behind their father’s murder.
The next few hours were a blur. Michael and Iris drove to Elden’s house, only to find that he was gone, leaving behind a trail of secrets. They searched his boat, his storage unit, and finally, they found a key—one that would lead them to the answers they desperately needed.
As they raced against time, the pieces began to fall into place. Their father had been murdered to protect a criminal empire—a network of powerful men who would do anything to keep their secrets buried. And now, Michael and Iris were in their sights.
But they were determined to find the truth. As the rain began to fall, they found themselves at the marina, confronting the dark forces that had torn their family apart. They knew the road ahead would be dangerous, but they also knew one thing: they couldn’t turn back.
“Dad would be proud of you,” Michael said to Iris, his voice soft but full of emotion. “You never gave up. You never stopped looking for the truth.”
“I did it for both of us,” Iris replied, her voice steady. “And for Dad.”
Together, they stepped into the unknown, ready to face whatever came next. The truth had been buried for too long, but now, it was finally coming to light. And they were determined to see it through, no matter the cost.
“Gave me all I could ask for in terms of competition” – Michael Jordan on how his relentless competitive spirit was ignited by his sister
Jordan developed an insane competitive drive after he was bested by his sister.
While Michael Jordan’s claim as the undisputed GOAT in basketball may be debated by some fans, his reputation as the most competitive athlete in sports history remains virtually unchallenged. The five-time MVP’s drive to be the best extended beyond his time on the basketball court, mostly manifested in his post-retirement pursuits in golf and business. Interestingly, this relentless competitive drive was instilled in his character when his younger sister bested him at an early age.
Jordan on what he learned from his siblings
In his Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009, the six-time Finals MVP acknowledged the significant role his brothers, Larry and James, played in shaping his competitive drive. Despite not being particularly tall, they challenged Mike enough to motivate him to improve his skill sets from an early age.
“They gave me all I could ask for in terms of competition,” Mike said.
Then, the 14-time All-Star extended special recognition to his younger sister – Roslyn, whose refusal to accept mediocrity and accomplishment of graduating before Mike himself served as a great source of inspiration. Observing his determination, the 6’6″ shooting guard gradually cultivated his own competitive drive.
Put simply, while his competitiveness became apparent to all when he entered the NBA, its foundations were laid through familial rivalries in his childhood years.
“The competition didn’t stop there,” His Airness added. “My sister, who is one year younger than me, Roz, never wanted to be home by herself. She took classes, extra classes to graduate high school with me, to go to the University of North Carolina with me, and to graduate prior to me. And you guys ask me where my competitive nature came from?”
Mike had that drive from an early age
That being said, wrapping up his speech about being so focused on winning, Jordan gushed about how his parents really kicked it all off. And how competition from the NBA players was just like throwing gas on an already roaring fire.
“That fire started with my parents,” Jordan concluded. “As I moved on in my career, people added wood to that fire.”
Not only did his relentless determination become Jordan’s most talked-about trait over the years, as it evidently led him to six champions in eight years, but it was also the biggest factor why MJ was able to accumulate a net worth of $2 billion, becoming the most profitable sportsperson the world had or has ever seen.
