It doesn’t even take a conversation with Kelsey Robinson to know she’s a huge Michael Jordan fan.
The USA volleyball sparkplug was spotted wearing Jordans on the court in Sunday’s win over China:
Of course, Robinson also wears jersey No. 23 and she’s a Chicago native, so the Jordan fingerprints are everywhere.
Robinson – who grew up in Bartlett, Ill., in the Chicagoland suburbs – said she wears the number to remind herself of where she came from.
“I wear it because it’s a connection to my hometown and the people there,” she told the Chicago Tribune. “That way, no matter where I am, I feel like they’re with me.”
Robinson began her athletic career as a basketball player before her mom – who played basketball in college – suggested she try out for volleyball at age 10 to help her jumping skills.
The 24-year-old has found a career in volleyball, but she still stays true to her basketball roots.
“Giving up basketball was the hardest thing I had ever done at that time,” she said, according to the Tribune. “But whenever I need to get away and clear my head, I grab a basketball and shoot around. It’s nice that it’s still a part of my life.”
In an ironic twist of fate, Robinson’s coach – three-time gold medal winner Karch Kiraly – is also considered by some to be the “Michael Jordan of volleyball.”