Despite opening a brand new $7,600,0000 gym, fans still want to visit Michael Jordan's old stomping grounds at Laney High School

A lot of Michael Jordan's greatness lies in the story that precedes his NBA career. A perfect example of this is seen in his legacy left behind at his old stomping grounds.

Before his success with the Chicago Bulls, even before his iconic shot for the UNC Tar Heels, Jordan was just an up-and-coming talent in Laney High School in Wilmington.

Although the city is known for many things, including its Civil War sites, several tourists apparently visit with the intent of seeing Jordan's old gym. This was a claim made by the school's former assistant basketball coach Fred Lynch.

Lynch, who is now the school's athletic director, had the chance to coach Jordan during his high school days. A lot has changed since then. Back in 2017, they opened a new gym which cost a whopping $7.6 million. But, as per Lynch, fans are still eager to see the old gym where Jordan use to go to work.

He said:

"Every summer some of the Chinese students who attend the universities here stop by, and we’ve had people from France and around the world come through to see a piece of history. They know all about Mike, even if they never saw him play."

When speaking about tearing down the old gym at Laney, Lynch said:

"That would be blasphemy. We’ve been begging for a new gym for a long time, but we still have use for the old gym. Plus, it has so much history."

The new gym features a lot of Jordan memorabilia in the lobby. His high school jersey hangs from the wall surrounded by a number of Air Jordans. Needless to say, his impact on the school's legacy is beyond significant.

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Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team

The story of Michael Jordan being cut from Laney High School's varsity team is practically legend at this point. At a pivotal point in his young career, Jordan found himself missing out on a chance to play for his school team. However, this could have been one of the best things to have happened.

After being cut, MJ was filled with determination to improve on his game. In Netflix's 'The Last Dance' docu-series, Jordan's mother Deloris even shared what he went through that summer. She said:

"My words to him was, 'If you really want it, you work hard over the summer,' And he did that summer! That summer, he focused. He would practice all day. That basketball never left his hand."

It was revealed in 2012 that Michael Jordan was cut because he was too short at the time to play varsity ball as per coach Clifton Herring. However, Herring's decision was also to help MJ work on his shooting and defense in junior varsity.

Read: Michael Jordan said his high school coach who cut him from the team was also the reason for his resurgent rise - "He takes pride in that too"