It didn’t take a 10-part documentary series from ESPN to tell us that Michael Jordan is supremely confident and competitive. We knew that already.
But The Last Dance has certainly brought Jordan’s legendary competitive nature back to the forefront of the sports conversation. And now, his own players with the Charlotte Hornets are taking notice.
Back in 2015, Jordan joined France’s L’Equipe for an interview, and at the time, Jordan claimed that he could still beat the Charlotte players in one-on-one but didn’t want to hurt their confidence. Jordan was 52 years old at the time of the interview, and the Hornets’ roster included Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum. As far as we know, those games never took place.
Yet, this weekend, the quote once again made rounds on Twitter as if the 57-year-old Jordan was saying it now. He wasn’t, but that didn’t stop Miles Bridges from wanting to take on the Hornets owner.
Let’s get it then https://t.co/7MbAOAFhSL
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) May 17, 2020
Time would probably be on Bridges’ side here — though Jordan’s age didn’t do any favors for Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in 2013.
Jordan, then 50, beat Kidd-Gilchrist in one-on-one, and the No. 2 overall pick never lived up to his billing out of Kentucky.
Did losing to Jordan destroy Kidd-Gilchrist’s confidence and ruin his NBA career? Probably not, but Jordan doesn’t seem willing to take that chance again with one of his players.
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