New Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard has become somewhat of a journeyman since his glory days with the Orlando Magic. Once regarded as the best defensive player in the game, Howard became more of a shell of his former self with each team he joined.

After leaving his third team in five seasons, there was little interest around the league in the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year. That is until he received a call from none other than Hornets owner and the greatest to ever pick up a basketball, Michael Jordan.

Jordan told Howard he was bringing him to Charlotte to learn the difference between playing ‘pissed' and playing ‘determined', according to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins:

This summer he finally found someone to give him the benefit of the doubt. On June 20, Howard was walking out of L.A. Fitness in Atlanta, swaddled in Hawks sweats, when Michael Jordan called. The voice took Howard back to his last high school game, the 2004 Jordan Brand Classic at Maryland. Through a mouthful of braces Howard thanked Jordan for lifting the NBA, and Jordan told the earnest phenom he could hoist the league higher. “Why are you so pissed off?” Jordan asked, 13 years later. I thought that’s what people wanted, Howard thought. “When you’re pissed, you’re out of control, and you’re not focusing on your shots or your free throws or the right type of defense,” Jordan went on. “Why play pissed when you can play determined?” Jordan, the Hornets’ owner, explained that he was bringing Howard to Charlotte to learn the difference.

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Jordan's comments certainly speak volumes about his confidence in Howard as a player. Not only was the six-time NBA champion perhaps the most skilled basketball player of all time, but his mental approach to the game was second-to-none.

Howard can certainly take a page out of Jordan's book of opponents he completely dismantled during his time in the league. If he can somehow practice what Jordan is preaching, he may be just what Charlotte needs to get back into playoff contention.