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Michael Jordan’s effect on his teammates went beyond his fame and his well-known competitiveness when he was giving baseball a shot in the mid-1990s.
Jordan played more than 100 games with the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 1994 and, aside from hitting a few home runs, the former Chicago Bulls star also helped one teammate learn English.
MICHAEL JORDAN WOULD HAVE MADE THE MAJORS IF HE STUCK WITH BASEBALL, HIS FORMER MANAGER SAYS
Michael Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons in 1994. (Photo by Jim Gund/Getty Images)
Rogelio Nunez told The Athletic in a story published Monday that Jordan would pay him to spell words correctly in an effort to teach him the language.
“He said, 'If you spell Mickey Mantle right now, I'll give you $1,000,’” Nunez said. “And guess what? I couldn't even start it. I didn't know how to spell.”
“Everybody was like, 'Come on, Nunez!’ But I didn't know how to start it. So Jordan said, ‘OK, from now on, every word that you spell to me, I'll give you $100.’ I said, ‘It's hard for me.’ He said, ‘We're going to ease into it. I'll give you a letter the day before. The starting letter. And it has to be about baseball.’ And that's how it worked.”
MICHAEL JORDAN TURNED DOWN CHANCE AT PLAYING FOR MLB TEAM
Nunez said he thought he made about $2,500 and he bought an English book to help him learn the language. The Dominican Republic native joined the Chicago White Sox organization in 1989 when he was 19 years old. In 1994, he hit .294 with 21 RBI and 23 runs.
Jordan helped a teammate learn English. (Photo by Jim Gund/Getty Images)
Nunez would be out of the minor league system after the 1995 season. He played two seasons in the independent Northeast League – one with the Bangor Blue Ox and one with the New Jersey Jackals.
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Jordan would only play one season with the Barons before going back to the Bulls.