What does No. 45 think of No. 15?
“To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen,” Michael Jordan told TheAthletic.com’s David Aldrige after watching Tiger Woods win the Masters on Sunday.
Jordan, who knows a thing or two about making a comeback, said he was watching the Masters on Sunday at a watch party alongside the likes of Luke Donald, and the spectacle was something that even he couldn’t relate to.
“I took two years off to play baseball, but nothing like (what Woods went through),” Jordan said. “I’m pretty sure he questioned himself, whether he could get it back, and he had to put a lot of work in. But he took it head-on. He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit.”
Like a lot of people, Michael Jordan watched Tiger Woods win the Masters Sunday with awe and wonder. Like almost no one, MJ could relate to how Woods did it. I talked with him about it, in @TheAthleticDC: https://t.co/sdNrf84NNs
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) April 18, 2019
A friend and avid golfer, Jordan’s NBA career played out in three separate parts — from 1991-1993, from 1996-98 and from 2001-2003 — which encompassed six NBA titles, five league NBA MVPs, six Finals MVPs and 14 All-Star games.
“I never thought he’d get back physically,” Jordan said. “He didn’t think he’d get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now. He’s probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that’s a major accomplishment. To me, it’s unbelievable. Mentally, you always think you can. But you can’t answer to what your body has to deal with.”
So, what does Jordan think of the young crop of players on the PGA Tour — many of whom he’s friendly with and plays alongside often in Florida?
“They got problems,” Jordan said. “His confidence is only going to build from here. The unknown is the biggest thing. He’s won a Tour event, he’s won the Masters, he’s won a major.
“There were so many people that were doubting him. You can think about the physical. But he overcame a lot of mental things, too. Not just the physical aspects, but all the scandals, too. I was watching TV and they were congratulating him, but the first thing they bring up is the negative aspect. That’s what he had to deal with. Granted, we all make mistakes. But for him to come back and be able to win again, it’s far tougher than anything I think anybody’s had to deal with.”
