Michael Jordan once had to go to the hospital after a stunt with a samurai sword went wrong. The basketball legend was practicing for a movie when he accidentally cut his hand and needed stitches.
Michael Jordan once had to go to the hospital after a stunt went wrong. He was performing with a samurai sword and it flew into his eye.
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Michael Jordan is regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time. ‘His Airness’ is the athlete who has given the world the most memorable anecdotes and tales about his life and career. Jordan had a 14-year on-and-off career, so he had enough of tales to share. Because Jordan has avoided making many public appearances, the enigmatic atmosphere that surrounds him has piqued the interest of many people.
But every now and then, we get a peek inside Jordan’s incredible career, whether it’s through former teammates, coaches, or just individuals who used to be around him. Jordan’s Donnell Alexander told him about one such incident from his college days at the University of North Carolina, and it’s hard to believe it didn’t damage his career when he finally joined the NBA.
Jordan was assigned to represent UNC’s basketball team at an evangelist’s gathering for convicts while he was there. Jordan wasn’t the player Dean Smith had in mind, but he was the best he could come up with. Jordan had already gained national renown by scoring the game-winning shot for the national championship by the time the event was to take place.
Mike Crain, a martial arts specialist, planned to execute a stunt with a samurai sword at the event. Jordan refused to volunteer when he was approached by him. Jordan finally accepted the offer to participate for the prank after being provoked.
Michael Jordan was virtually unknown outside of North Carolina in the spring of 1982, when he was a thin freshman. Before he had enough followers to establish his own religion, he was a tiny freshman at North Carolina. When Dallas preacher Bill Glass was searching for a basketball player to round out his jail preaching trip in the Carolinas that summer, Jordan was not the man he had in mind when he contacted Dean Smith. Jimmy Black is a fictional character. Sam Perkins is a character in the film Sam Perkins. Glass, a former NFL lineman, was looking for names like that. Smith informed him that he was not accessible. Engagements in the past Glass was unable to locate Matt Doherty.
Glass was polite but skeptical when Smith handed up this unknown freshman. Jordan was unquestionably superior than nothing. However, one of the goals of Glass’ Weekend of Champions ministry was to have a well-known athlete participate in the witnessing events. What separated Jordan from these guys doing time, apart than their rap sheets? How would they identify upward if they didn’t have the celebrity?
Jordan then made a championship-winning shot in March, and when his summer ministry rolled through Raleigh’s Triangle Correctional Facility, the prisoners greeted him with open arms. Jordan, who was dressed in his new US All-Stars warmups, was applauded after thoroughly educating a cell block all-star. Glass sighed with relief. Those who did not obtain salvation would at the very least have something to brag about.
The Weekend of Champions, however, was about much more than basketball behind closed doors. The tour has previously included inspiring sportsmen like catcher Jim Sundberg and pitcher Frank Tanana, as well as men of faith from the worlds of professional coaching and pro wrestling. Before Glass delivered the Good News, a martial-arts specialist from Tennessee called Mike Crain was asked to amp up the tension in the yard. Jordan stayed to see the performance. Crain also requested a volunteer for his crowd-pleasing samurai-sword performance.
After then, things become a bit hazy. Jordan voluntarily climbed onstage, according to Glass. Crain, on the other hand, had a different recollection of the event. Crain must cut a full-grown watermelon in half as it sits on the volunteer’s tummy as part of the sword performance. Most people who end up on the fruit plate are hesitant at first, particularly after seeing Crain, a muscular Southerner in an all-white martial-arts outfit accentuated with his black belt, slice the air for a few minutes with cold steel.
Jordan, on the other hand, was more hesitant than others, and he flatly refused. Crain was unconcerned. He took advantage of the thrill-seeking throng of prisoners, and when he suggested to Jordan that he wasn’t nearly masculine enough to perform the role of human cutting board, the 19-year-old accepted the task with aplomb. He ascended the wooden platform and sat down on a weight-training bench that he had used in a previous performance. Crain then put the melon on Jordan’s stomach.
Jordan began to stand up as Crain grabbed another black sash and began blindfolding himself. Between the vegetables and the bench, Crain gently held him down. The brothers in the yard inched closer to the stage in a scenario that looked like a jailhouse production of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. Crain advised Jordan to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded by errant rind and seeds, but MJ’s eyelids were already sealed tight enough to ensure a house.
Crain pulled his sword back and sliced the ripe melon. However, his sword went too far south, slowing the strike due to Jordan’s jutting right hip. The watermelon was ripped rather than cut. The audience became captivated and moved even closer to Jordan, who was now lying down.
The blade came down a second time, and watermelon fragments flew into the air and across the stage. Crain knew he had divided the fruit based on the response of his audience, but he had the uneasy sense he had gone too far. This hit was at the correct spot, but Crain underestimated Jordan’s slim belly’s give. Crain double-checked his volunteer’s safety after removing his blindfold. Jordan noticed a rip in the fabric as he and Glass cleaned away the juice, melon, and seed that had coated the front of Jordan’s white jersey.
Jordan was furious.
He shouted at Crain, “Look what you done!” Jordan received the warmups as a prize for competing in his first international competition. However, the man who had driven Jordan to jail was worried about more than just the jersey. Jordan should check to see whether he was hurt by the blade, he advised. Jordan refused to look at the clothing until they were back in the vehicle and the driver persisted. They both glanced down at Jordan’s navel and saw a gash. Jordan was unconcerned about the wound since he hadn’t felt anything, even after emergency department physicians used three stitches to seal him up. He did have a grudge, but it wasn’t about the injuries. That would heal in a matter of days. Warming up gear like this, on the other hand, was one-of-a-kind.
Glass pulled Crain off of the evangelistic rotation after the Jordan snafu. Crain believes that he has cut 16 individuals with the watermelon prank 1,750 times. Crain quips, “That’s not a lot.” “He’s missed more than 70 game-winning shots, and only mine have cost me more.”
Jordan didn’t say anything about the event when he got back to his hostel. His dormmates felt he was such an odd volunteer for anything like this that he had to show them the stitches to persuade them the tale wasn’t a joke. Everyone was taken aback by what he had done, which was out of character for him. And rumor has it that when Jordan realized he was on the verge of becoming ideal footage for a “Faces of Death” film, he became profoundly spiritual.
So remember this the next time you complain about the lockout or our infatuation with Jordan and the Bulls: Michael Jordan was once only a rotting rind away from being half the player he is today.
Jordan would hold a watermelon to his belly while Crain was blindfolded before slicing the fruit in two with his samurai sword. Crain used a bit more power while slashing the watermelon with the samurai sword, but Jordan’s location saved him from harm. But MJ didn’t have the same success the second time around. As the crowd saw the watermelon pieces fly about, Crain removed his blindfold to see a small rip in Jordan’s US All-Stars shirt.
MJ was furious, yelling at Crain for destroying a garment he treasured. Jordan and his escort discovered Jordan had a cut around his navel after the incident on the way back. Jordan had no idea what had occurred since he didn’t feel any pain or damage following the slash. Despite this, Jordan was sent to the hospital’s emergency department, where he received stitches to heal the wound.
Fortunately, Jordan was unharmed as a result of the hazardous act. It was a risky move that might have left Jordan severely wounded and ruined his basketball career. Jordan, on the other hand, had no major health issues and went on to become one of the best basketball players of all time.
Michael Jordan once had to go to the hospital after a stunt with a samurai sword went wrong. Reference: michael jordan short story.
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