Stories of Michael Jordan’s intensity was once a thing of folklore or made for a special on ESPN classic. Now it seems like eery few weeks there’s a new story that comes out about Jordan and how intense he actually was in the 90’s.
There was Horace Grant telling everyone about MJ and a teammate getting in a fight in practice. Then Reggie Miller told everyone about a time where MJ decided to anoint himself ‘Black Jesus’ and now we have the following gem from Jordan’s time filming the classic movie that made us all love the game in the 90’s, Space Jam.
Space Jam was a ‘basketball movie’ for all intents and purposes so of course, when there was downtime, Jordan would organize pickup games between the actors and the other NBA players in the film. Muggsy Bogues, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Larry Bird and Larry Johnson were some of the other NBA guys besides MJ so they would all hoop up and grab a couple of the extras to join them. Like he would often do during any game he played in, MJ made sure everyone knew that he was the best basketball player and in the world.
Even on the set of Space Jam. A movie that had cartoon characters in it and had a “G” rating.
Following from Grantland’s interview with actor Keith Gibbs.
Did Jordan trash-talk you?
Oh yeah, nonstop. [Laughs.]
He didn’t give a s—t who you were. When I was doing Space Jam, we played three days. I thought it was over. I had to go out of town. I get a phone call, they’re like, “Why aren’t you here?” I was like, “Oh, they’re still playing?” I had no idea.
I walk in, and it’s Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Alonzo Mourning, Charles Oakley. Grant Hill shows up. Jerry Stackhouse shows up. Now, all of a sudden it’s an NBA All-Star pickup game. Every night. I did that for about a month and a half, two months. Then the UCLA kids came in, and they had just won a national title — Ed O’Bannon and those guys. Just phenomenal. Best pickup games I’ve ever been a part of. It was unreal.
Yeah, so Jordan … I had to guard Reggie Miller and Michael Jordan in back-to-back games. It was so bad. I was friends with Chris Mills and Tracy Murray — we had been to some camps together. One play, I got switched onto Jordan, because Chris was like, “Keith, you take him.” Jordan hit a 35-footer on me. I mean, it was ridiculous: leg out, tongue out, all that stuff … hit a 35-footer on me and goes, “GET THE F*CK OFF THE COURT.”
Michael Jeffrey Jordan always backed up anything he said with his play on the court. This is just another example of why he was the baddest man to lace up a pair of sneakers and get on the hardwood.
