Bob Knight saw greatness in Michael Jordan before anyone else

Legendary Hall of Fame head coach Bob Knight died at 83 on Wednesday, leaving behind a complicated legacy. Remembered for good and bad on the basketball court, perhaps no one had an eye for talent as unique as Knight, who saw greatness in Michael Jordan before anyone else. 

Knight wasn't known for producing NBA stars while leading the Indiana Hoosiers to three national titles. However, he knew talent when he saw it. Coaching the 1984 United States Olympic team, Knight had the opportunity to lead a group featuring a young Michael Jordan, still a college player at North Carolina. After being around Jordan throughout the tryout phase, trials and the games themselves, Knight praised Jordan, crowning the then-21-year-old as the best player he'd ever laid eyes on. 

"In the categories of competitiveness, ability, skill and then athletic ability, he's the best athlete, he's one of the best competitors, he's one of the most skilled players," Knight said. "That to me makes him the best basketball player I've ever seen." 

Knight led the U.S. team to a gold-medal victory, but as often was the case over his career, the old-school tactics he used to produce success on the floor also came with negative consequences. While trying to motivate his talented squad after a quarterfinal win over Germany, Knight criticized Jordan heavily, ordering him to apologize to the team for his performance. According to teammate Sam Perkins, the berating was so extreme it drove Jordan to tears. 

Jordan wasn't a secret Knight had revealed. He was still considered a top pick in the 1984 NBA Draft but certainly wasn't in line to be the No. 1 pick. The NBA was still the land of giants, and every team attempted to get their hands on the next dominant center. The Houston Rockets grabbed future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon with the first pick, leaving the Portland Trail Blazers with a decision to make with the second choice. 

When Trail Blazers general manager and friend Stu Inman insisted that the team needed to add a big man, Knight hilariously responded, "Take Jordan and play him at center." Instead, the Trail Blazers picked center Sam Bowie out of Kentucky. The Chicago Bulls went on to grab arguably the best player ever with the next pick at No. 3, and the rest is history. 

To say Knight was a volatile personality would be an understatement. His way of doing things wouldn't fly today, and if not for his greatness as a basketball mind, it wouldn't have in his day either. 

Genuinely a one of a one-of-a-kind character, to know Knight is to incorporate the ugly and the beautiful. No one will forget the mad tirades, the throwing of chairs or the more severe incidents of emotional and physical abuse of his players, including when he was captured on tape choking Neil Reed during a practice in 1997.