Most people remember NBA icon Michael Jordan as an unstoppable force that dispatched every waking opponent in his path en route to six championships. Little do they remember or perhaps even acknowledge that there was a time early on in his career when Jordan was still trying to establish his identity in the league.

While most stories center around Jordan’s unparalleled folk-like dominance nowadays, superstars like Dr. J remember MJ’s early moments, a time in his career when he was trying to find his feet.

In a rare media appearance, the Philadelphia 76ers legend joined the Knuckleheads podcast and reminded everyone that his career overlapped with the Bulls shooting guard’s and prioritizing his teammates was still a work in progress.

“MJ and I played against each other – there were three years where we overlapped. I caught him before he really hit his stride. He was scoring a lot of points, but he was trying to find himself. Find the right mix of teammates. There were a lot of things going on during that time,” he said.

The early struggles

Contrary to popular NBA belief, Jordan’s career didn’t last just six seasons, with six NBA championships and six Finals MVPs – there was a before and after his prime.