“Michael was the third pick in the draft, so he came in with a mentality that he was going to have to prove himself,” recalls Howard White, VP of Jordan Brand. “Training camp was at the Purple Hotel in Lincolnwood, Illinois and when he arrived to the city, he kept thinking ‘this is where I am meant to be’. His love of being the best, and leading the team, all meshed together. The city of Chicago was looking for a winner, looking for a hero. Some say that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. So I believe that he wanted to take that challenge of being that for Chicago — the city that drafted him.”