MICHAEL Jordan has always been renowned for his relentless work ethic.

One legendary former teammate, George Gervin, has provided a glimpse into life behind the scenes alongside the six-time NBA Champion.

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Gervin (L) spent one season in ChicagoCredit: Getty

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Jordan was entering his second season and fresh off of an All-Star appearance against Gervin when the latter arrived in ChicagoCredit: Getty
Himself an NBA Hall of Famer and a member of the league’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, Gervin played alongside and against some of the all-time greats during his lengthy career.

During his fourteen-year career in the U.S., he was a teammate of Julius Erving with the ABA’s Virginia Squires and played against the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird to name but a few.

And for his final season in the NBA, Gervin opted to head North and join the Chicago Bulls, where he would play alongside a certain MJ.

Only in his second season since being drafted third overall out of UNC, Jordan was already an All-Star, All-NBA Second-Teamer, and the reigning Rookie of the Year.

Watching up close gave Gervin, who had made his professional debut back in 1972, a chance to see “how the game was evolving” in the mid-1980s, as per an interview with WEMU 89.1.

“To see [Jordan] as a second-year player and just see how dominant his attitude was about winning,” he said.

“He played hard all the time. He played hard in practice. He played just as hard in practice as he did in the basketball game.

“I saw potential in him. It was scary. I never knew he was going to be as great as he was, but I saw the potential there. It was incredible.”

Unsurprisingly, Gervin admitted that “to be a part of that beginning from Michael and start my career with Julius Erving is special for me.”

But when it comes to naming an all-time great, something Gervin is uniquely qualified to have an opinion on given his experiences, he remains hesitant to do so.

“Both of them were great,” he said, adding: “You know, we played two different eras. Both of them will be recognized in basketball history forever.”

Gervin himself left the U.S. for a single season in Italy in 1986 before returning Stateside with the CBA in 1989, suiting up for the Quad City Thunder.

A year in Spain followed, before turning to coaching back at his old stomping ground, the San Antonio Spurs, in 1992.

Three years later he founded the George Gervin Academy in San Antonio, while he also went on to build retirement homes for people on low incomes.

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Gervin was nicknamed the ‘Iceman’Credit: AP