Think you've heard every Michael Jordan story worth telling? Even the deep cuts? Well, every so often, something new surfaces. Jordan's admission that, as a teenager, he once saw himself as a "racist" fits that category.
The comment resurfaced in the 2014 biography " Michael Jordan: The Life ." Author Roland Lazenby cited a 1992 Playboy interview where the Chicago Bulls superstar discussed the frustration and environment that, as he later admitted, left him consumed by anger and division.
"I considered myself a racist at the time," Jordan said . "Basically, I was against all white people."
Jordan was born in Brooklyn , New York. He, however, grew up mostly in North Carolina. That's where basketball entered his life early. It quickly became part of his daily world. But the game could not shut out everything around him.
The communities where a young Jordan grew up carried a painful history. At its peak, the Ku Klux Klan had more than 10,000 members across the state . That peak had passed by then. But the mindset had not disappeared. It still showed up everywhere. In sports. In schools. In daily life. It also shaped how people saw the world. Especially kids.
Jordan felt it firsthand. He attended a mostly white school. He was one of only two Black players on the basketball team. At times, people told him he was inferior because of his skin color.
Those moments left scars. One stood out.
Lazenby wrote that it happened in 1977. Back then, a female classmate called him the N-word. Jordan snapped and threw a soda at her.
Years later, Jordan spoke about that time. He described his reaction as "really rebelling." In a way, the future basketball legend fought hate with hate. Was that really surprising for a teenager facing that kind of ugliness?
Before the soda incident that led to his suspension, Jordan had watched the miniseries "Roots." The story is set during and after slavery in the United States. It gave him a deeper sense of the suffering endured by his African-American ancestors. His own experiences added to that perspective. Together, they shaped how Michael saw race around him.
His views began to harden. But they never fully set.
As Jordan matured, the resentment that once fueled him began to fade. In the book, he credits his mother, Deloris, with helping him gain perspective. She warned him that holding onto that bitterness would only weigh him down.
It mattered that Jordan spoke so openly about that anger and his reaction as a teenager. Still, the revelation carried more context than it seemed at first. After excerpts from Lazenby's book circulated, the publisher issued a statement to ESPN clarifying its intent.
They said the portrait of Jordan was meant to add context to his upbringing. Not to sensationalize it. The focus was on a young man shaped by his surroundings. Not a label meant to define him.
At the time, racism was already part of the NBA's public conversation. The book arrived just one week after Jordan had condemned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Sterling had been exposed for his heavily racist remarks that had leaked.
For most of his storied Hall of Fame career, Jordan stayed away from those discussions. Basketball was his focus. Still, sharing such a personal story from his childhood — and speaking out against Sterling — were rare moments when the five-time MVP did.
Related: "That's a residue of slavery" - Jalen Rose claims only "Black-led" sports have salary caps
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
