Michael Jordan didn't hesitate when naming the one player who 'drove him nuts' when playing against him
Micheal Jordan has already revealed the one player who ‘drove him nuts’ during his NBA career.
Jordan, 62, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time with the likes of Steph Curry, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant also in the conversation.
The former Chicago Bulls star had a ruthless win-at-all-costs mentality and was not afraid to call out his own teammates when he felt the time was right.
Jordan was so intense that one of his former teammates, Scottie Pippen, explained how he was “horrible to play with”.
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“I’ve seen Michael Jordan play before I came to the Bulls,” Pippen said on Stacey King’s podcast ‘Gimme the Hot Sauce’ in 2023.
“You guys have seen him play … He was horrible to play with. It was all 1-on-1, shooting bad shots. All of a sudden, we become a team and we start winning. Everybody forgot who he was. He was a player who was really not at the top of his category. It was scoring.”
So, if Jordan’s own teammates said this, there was little hope for his opponents.
Jordan previously revealed how a certain opponent, in particular, drove him nuts when they faced off on the court.
“I don't really dislike anybody in the league, but playing Reggie Miller drives me nuts,” Jordan told ESPN in 1998.
“His game is all this flopping-type thing,” he added. “He weighs only 185 pounds, so you have to be careful, don't touch him, or it's a foul. On offense, I use all my 215 pounds and just move him out. But he has his hands on you all the time, like a woman holding your waist. I just want to beat his hands off because it's illegal. It irritates me.”
Miller, 59, enjoyed an 18-year career in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, his accolades include five NBA All-Star drafts, and an Olympic gold medal with team USA back in 1996.
The 59-year-old also gave his thoughts on Jordan and admitted that despite only being “175, 180lbs” when he entered the NBA his “mouth” gave him an edge, something the 62-year-old experienced first hand.
“I started talking as soon as I got into the league," Miller said on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2015.
“But I had a bad experience."
He cast his mind back to a pre-season exhibition game between the Bulls and Pacers, during which he was encouraged to trash talk Jordan by his teammates.
"Michael, who do you think you are?" Miller said when recalling the exchange.
"The great Michael Jordan? That's right. There's a new kid in town."
After outscoring Miller during the match, Jordan hit back.
“As he's walking off, he's like, 'Be sure and be careful you never talk to Black Jesus like that,'" Miller explained.
Topics: Michael Jordan, NBA, Basketball, Chicago Bulls
Luke Davies