Michael Jordan is known as arguably the most competitive NBA player in the league’s history. There has been an endless list of tales shared by players in which Jordan broke down his opponent mentally during competition. Now it has been revealed why he may have developed into the fiercest competitor in the game.

During Jordan’s first Olympic appearance in 1984, Team USA’s then coach Bobby Knight actually brought the greatest player of all time to tears after a game against Germany. One of MJ’s teammates during the Olympics, Sam Perkins, spoke to SiriusXM’s Above the Rim on Tuesday and recalled how Knight broke Jordan down.

“Bobby Knight, he got after us,” said Perkins. “He told Michael that's the worst he ever played. Now Michael's going to deny this, but he cried. He cried after the game, because of the fact that Bobby Knight told him, ‘You should apologize to everybody in here.' I waited for my apology because I thought he was going to actually do it. But he actually cried.”

Perkins played alongside Jordan for North Carolina before they entered the NBA. They pair won a gold medal together at the same Olympic Games in 1984.

Jordan’s aggressively competitive nature remains despite his retirement, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he made a conscious effort to debunk Perkins’ story.

It's hard to imagine what Jordan crying looks like, so if anyone can find an image online, it may help bring it to life…

Crying Jordan
Stephan Savoia/AP