Michael Jordan On Dean Smith ‘He Was More Than A Coach…He Was My Mentor, My Teacher, My Second Father’

Early this morning we learned of the passing of legendary North Carolina head coach Dean Smith. Smith coached many NBA stars, including Michael Jordan, who released the following statement on Sunday.

“Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith. He was more than a coach – he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenver I needed him and I love him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life. My heart goes out to Linnea and their kids. We’ve lost a great man who had an incredible impact on players, his staff and the entire UNC family.”

Jordan played for Smith for three seasons at North Carolina, winning a national championship in Jordan’s freshman season. Both remained very close as Jordan would seek advice from Smith throughout his NBA career.

Here is the recruiting letter Smith sent to Jordan in 1980.