"I used to be able to beat him, he beats me to death right now": When Roy Williams talked about his rivalry with Michael Jordan

Roy Williams, a former North Carolina coach, was one of the few college coaches who saw potential in a young Michael Jordan while he was in high school. Williams, who was an assistant to Dean Smith at North Carolina at the time, recruited Jordan to play for the Tar Heels in 1981.

Over the years, the two became great friends and developed a friendly rivalry on the golf course. However, because of Williams' knee issues, they hadn't played for some time, not since a few summers before his retirement in 2021.

In November that year, Williams told Graham Bensinger about his relationship with Jordan and also detailed how their golf rivalry developed over time.

"I used to be able to beat him. He beats me to death right now," Williams said (1:40). "But we haven't played since I retired. Come on, I'll have a chance to — hopefully next spring — after I have my second knee replaced. I'm going to try to work on my game and see if I can get back.

"When I left high school, my handicap was a three. And for 45 years, I've been able to keep it in single digits in the summer. But this summer, at 71, it took me until August to get it to single digits. So I've got to go back to work."

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Roy Williams recalls Michael Jordan gifting him exclusive Jordan golf shoes

Not only are Michael Jordan's basketball shoes iconic, but his golf shoe line is exclusive as well. Only a select few athletes and friends of Jordan get the chance to wear these shoes, and Roy Williams is one of them.

The Hall of Fame coach revealed on The David Glenn Show in 2020 that he was fortunate enough to wear Jordan golf shoes.

"Two years ago … three years ago, I guess, I can say this legitimately the only people that actually wore Michael Jordan golf shoes was Michael Jordan and Roy Williams," he said (per Fox Sports).

"He had some pairs made up special for me ... They don’t make Jordan golf shoes. They just made them for Michael, and Michael had a bunch of pairs made for me."

Williams was a guest on the show following his 800th career win, which occurred when North Carolina beat Syracuse. Jordan sent Williams a special Air Jordan I 'Pinnacle Low' sneakers to commemorate the occasion.