Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, NBA, Basketball
Nasir Jabbar
Michael Jordan refused to use one of his former Chicago Bulls teammate's real name for a brutal reason.
Jordan enjoyed a legendary career with the Bulls, winning an impressive six NBA championships during his prolific stint.
He played with some of the game's greatest players, including Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and Dennis Rodman, among others.
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'MJ' also played with some 'lesser' names. Well, according to the NBA GOAT himself.
Will Perdue, who played for the Bulls from 1988 to 1995, once recalled Jordan's savagery and intensity in training.
Jordan refused to call Perdue by his real name because he 'wasn't good enough'.
That's according to Perdue himself. He explained: "He (Michael Jordan) says I can’t refer to him as Will Perdue because he’s not good enough to play in the Big 10, so I’m just gonna call him Will Vanderbilt."
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He added: "And I shook it off, but since I didn’t play a lot, it hurt. I didn’t come in and have to impress the coaches, but I also had to impress Michael Jordan. I just kept plugging away and spent a lot of time in the weight room. Came early, left late."
Jordan's refusing to call him by his name wasn't their only run-in.
The Bulls icon punched him during a fiery training session as Perdue confirmed being hit by his legendary ex-teammate, claiming he used it as motivation.
"He did [punch me], and I wasn't the only one," Perdue told CBS Sports in 2020. "That's how competitive our practices were. That wasn't the only fight; that was one of numerous. But because it involved Michael Jordan, and it leaked out, that it became a big deal.
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"And the funny thing was, in that practice that it happened, we basically separated, regrouped and kept practicing - it wasn't like that was the end of practice.
"Stuff like that was common, because that's how competitive our practices were."