NBA legend almost came to blows with Michael Jordan after he called him a 'b****' to his face

If it's better to be insulted than overlooked, one former NBA star can think back to his first encounter with Michael Jordan as the moment that made him.

Jordan liked to talk at his opponents on the court and could be especially spiky when an opposing player was making life difficult for him.

It didn't happen all that often but when it did MJ was more than willing to speak his mind.

In the middle of the 1990s, Jordan was in the cleft between two sets of three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.

He was in his prime; the biggest of basketball's big dogs at the peak of his powers and the height of his international superstardom.

So, when he came up against a tricky rookie point guard in a game against the New Jersey Nets, Jordan got to jawing.

Chris Childs was tasked with guarding Jordan when he played for the Nets against the Bulls in his first season in the NBA.

"I remember vividly when I was with the Nets and I wasn’t starting at the time and Butch [Beard, the Nets' coach] put me in and I remember him saying to me, 'You got Mike’ and I said, ‘Alright, no problem,'" Childs told journalist Brandon Robinson.

"I’m guarding him and I’m 6’3” and Michael’s 6’6”, but I knew that I would have to get him off his spot and use my strength to take advantage because if he got me down 12-11 feet, he’s going to jump and shoot over me, so I had to push him out to 15-17 feet where I had the advantage.

"He did a move, and I knocked the ball out of his hand, and he looked over at the bench to [former Nets assistant coach] Paul Silas and said, 'Who is this b****?'"

NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan both encountered Chris Childs (Image: Getty)

Childs went on to enjoy a long NBA career, playing for the New York Knicks in his own best years before a short spell with the Toronto Raptors and a swansong back in New Jersey.

He even came to blows with the late Kobe Bryant when the Knicks played the LA Lakers in 2000.

But it was that one comment from Jordan that stuck with him.

"That right there let me know I had arrived and just getting him [Jordan] riled up let me know that I could go out there and compete against the best," said Childs.