Roy Williams, the longtime North Carolina men’s basketball coach, knows a thing or two about the level of competition Michael Jordan brings to any kind of contest.
On Wednesday, Jordan’s 58th birthday, Williams, who was an assistant coach at North Carolina when Jordan played college basketball there from 1981-84, appeared in a video filmed at Pinehurst Resort in which he talked about Jordan’s game on the golf course as opposed to his game on the basketball court.
Most of Williams’s observations had to do with Jordan’s penchant for chatter as opposed to his actual shot-making.
With Pinehurst’s iconic Putter Boy figure at his right elbow and the practice putting green and clubhouse in the background, Williams was asked a simple question for the short clip shared on Pinehurst’s Twitter account: What’s a round of golf like with Michael?
When playing golf with Michael Jordan, @UNC_Basketball Coach Roy Williams says you need to be ready to "stand up for the lip."
He says you should also be ready for other things. Happy birthday, MJ. pic.twitter.com/I2VXJ8XHZR
— Pinehurst Resort (@PinehurstResort) February 17, 2021
“It’s just competitive and the only thing he ever did that was better than playing basketball was talking. And so you better be on his team or he’s going to talk you to death. He can hit it a long way, got a great touch, he hits it a long way sideways every now and then, but you better be able to stand up for the lip because he’s going to talk you to death.”
Many, many stories of Jordan golf bets and talk have emerged through the years, and perhaps none greater than this tale of Jordan taunting PGA Tour player Dominic Bozzelli at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.
It takes some focus, it seems, to tee it up with Jordan.
