A 5-Year-Old Michael Jordan faced devastating consequences after ignoring Deloris and James' warning about axe

Michael Jordan went from a brilliant young rookie to a certified legend over the course of his NBA career. However, all of this could've been lost by a simple accident, as Jordan once recalled ignoring his parents' warning about using an axe.

Michael Jordan truly rose to stardom during his college career. After hitting the game-winner at the NCAA championship game in his freshman season, it was evident that MJ was destined for greatness.

While considering the sheer number of stories that highlight why MJ became as great as he is, there are a few that could have been viewed as obstacles to this. Unlike the story of him being cut from his varsity team, which only motivated him to get better, one story could've very realistically ended his basketball dream.

While on "The Late Show with David Letterman", Jordan recalled a time when he chopped off a part of his big toe when he was five-years old. When asked by Letterman about a time when he was chopping wood when he was younger, Jordan replied by saying:

"Well, I was being bad first of all. My parents told me not to mess with the axe. So I'm out there chopping wood."

Jordan recalled the warnings from his parents about playing with the axe, as he was only about five or six at the time. He then added:

"Well, I'm playing with the axe and I don't have any shoes on. When you're from the country, you don't wear shoes outside. I'm chopping little bits and pieces of wood. And being hard-headed, I missed the wood and caught half of my big toe."

Michael Jordan then recalled heading down to the neighborhood doctor with his parents. Needless to say, MJ doubted her credentials. However, he was definitely fortunate that the accident didn't result in anything worse.

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How long was Michael Jordan's career?

Michael Jordan decided to forego his final year of college basketball to declare for the 1984 NBA Draft. After being drafted by the Chicago Bulls, it was fairly evident that Jordan was going to be the best player on the team.

Much of the early part of Jordan's career was spent carrying the Bulls. However, after the arrival of some key players such as Scottie Pippen, Chicago started rising through the ranks of the East as contenders.

The Bulls emerged as the dynasty of the 90's with Jordan solidifying his claim to being the greatest of all time.

Although MJ left the game for good at the end of the 2002-03 season, he retired twice before that. His first retirement was after the 1993 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, his second came after the 1998 NBA Finals.

Jordan only returned as a player-owner for the Washington Wizards to donate all his earnings to victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Read: NBA: Remembering Michael Jordan’s last shot for the Chicago Bulls