By the time Michael Jordan finished his historic career, he had not only racked up six NBA championships, but also won two gold medals for Team USA. As it turns out, however, Jordan's aspiration to win Olympic gold started long before his 1984 campaign with Team USA in the Los Angeles Olympics. Years back, Michael Jordan's mother Deloris opened up on nine-year-old MJ's Olympic aspirations.
As she explained in an interview with local news, after watching Team USA fall to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Olympics in controversial fashion, MJ was inspired. Despite being just nine years old, Jordan wanted to avenge Team USA's loss and restore the United States' place as the best team in the world.
At the time, the United State and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War, which heightened the tension between the two countries. Although Team USA had won seven straight gold medals, the team came up short in the 1972 Olympics thanks to some controversy.
Late in the game, a series of controversial decisions led to game officials adding several seconds back onto the clock, which the Soviet Union used to score. According to Michael Jordan's mom, her son was inspired to avenge the loss.
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"I wanted to share about his young days and how Mister Jordan and I was watching the United States play. Russia, ... I was in the kitchen preparing for food, and Mister Jordan walked in.
"And just for the quick minute, we had lost that game. And he walked in and he says, one day I'm going to be an Olympian and I'm going to win a gold medal."
Looking at Michael Jordan's two gold medals with Team USA in the Olympics
After Michael Jordan's Olympic dreams began following the 1972 Olympic controversy, the future Hall of Famer went on to represent the United States multiple times.
In 1983, Jordan represented the United States in the Pan-Am Games in 1983 before he was drafted into the NBA. The win marked the first gold medal for Jordan as a representative of Team USA, however he still had yet to compete for Team USA in the Olympics as he once dreamed.
The following summer, Jordan suited up for Team USA In the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. At the time, NBA players couldn't play in the Olympic games, with Jordan representing the country while still playing NCAA basketball.
Alongside future NBA legends such as Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin, Jordan helped Team USA win gold at the 1984 Olympic games, 12 years after being inspired by their controversial loss.
Years later, the International Olympic Committee decided to allow professional athletes to compete for their countries, opening the door for Jordan to compete in the Olympics again. With their decision, Jordan made his return to Team USA for the 1992 Olympics, joining the Dream Team.
The team went undefeated, rattling off eight straight wins en route to a gold medal in Barcelona in what would be Jordan's final Olympic games.
