Lawrence Taylor reflects on ‘big money’ golf battles with Michael Jordan

New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor looks back on some “big money” golf battles with NBA great Michael Jordan.

If the remarkably popular “The Last Dance” documentary on the dynasty Chicago Bulls has taught anyone anything, it’s that Michael Jordan is one of the most competitive people on the planet.

Don’t believe that? Just ask New York Giants legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor.

“Of all the people I know, he’s probably the most competitive person I know,” Taylor told the New York Post. “He’ll bet on a daggone 50-foot putt and goddammit, if he bets on it, nine times out of 10 he’s gonna make it.

“Don’t get it confused. He is trying to win every bet. He might not care, but he is trying to win every bet. Everything that is out there. He’s trying to win at all times. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Taylor and Jordan met at their alma mater, North Carolina, where the two bonded over basketball. Little did the pair know at the time that they would go on to become the greatest players in their respective sports.

“My senior year when I went to the Giants, I came back to school to finish up that summer,” Taylor said. “And he was there at Carolina getting ready for the season, but we played a lot of basketball, we hung out a lot. I consider him a good friend.

“I am not a critiquer of basketball. I played football. The guy was phenomenal. And sometimes you think he’s from another planet. The things he can do you don’t see every day. Every hundred million people that are born, there may be one like him, OK?”

But which of the two is a better golfer? Taylor was reluctant to say because their pair haven’t played in a while. However, if you were to tally the big-money bets…

“When it comes to the big money, I may have won more of the big money than he has,” Taylor said. “I wish I had a tally but we don’t have a tally. It’s not all about money. It’s all about my drive and his drive. I think as far as that goes, we’re pretty even there.

“We have a good relationship, and if I come to a golf course he wants me in his group. And it’s hard to get into Michael Jordan’s group.”

Imagine the intensity when L.T. and Jordan were competing against each other…

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