Michael Jordan 'told Chicago Bulls staff member he'd kill him' after he left NBA legend out of his all-time starting five

It's difficult to imagine compiling a dream all-time basketball line-up that doesn't include Michael Jordan.

The former Chicago Bulls superstar was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player five times during his illustrious career and won six championships.

Whether you consider MJ or LeBron James to be the greatest NBA player ever, Jordan at least has to make the cut for any fantasy starting five.

Jordan was once asked to make his own deal line-up, too. In an interview with Playboy in 1992, 'His Airness' wasted no time in naming himself among a list of the game's greats.

Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson

"Me and Magic [Johnson], [Larry] Bird, [James] Worthy, [Kevin] McHale or [Moses] Malone, David Robinson or [Kareem] Abdul-Jabbar," Jordan said.

Jordan had chosen to compose his hypothetical team from players who were contemporaries of his at the time.

It was a strong line-up, offering skill, size creativity and scoring – even if the Bulls icon couldn't quite whittle it down to five players.

When asked how his team would fair against the greats of the game's past, Jordan apparently became irked at remembering that then-Bulls general manager Jerry Krause had once picked his own all-time five and selected players from the 1960s – leaving no room for Jordan or his rivals.

This, it's fair to say, didn't amuse the NBA GOAT.

"I did this with Jerry Krause once," Jordan said. "He chose Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, Jerry West. At small forward, he had Dr. J. The power forward was Gus Johnson. I told him I'd kill him.

"Of all players, the all-time greats, he left off Magic, and he left off Bird. He was excluding me. He put West at two-guard."

Jordan and Krause famously had a strained relationship during their time together in Chicago.

As detailed in the 2020 Netflix documentary about his career, The Last Dance, Jordan held little regard for Krause and would often humiliate the GM in group situations.

When Krause, who died in 2017, was posthumously inducted into the Bulls' 'Ring of Honour' earlier this year, some fans booed as members of the former executive's family received the honour on his behalf.