Tag: Lenny Wilkens

Steve Kerr, winner of a bazillion rings as Jordan’s teammate in Chicago, as a role player with the Spurs, and then, of course, as the Warriors coach, knew MJ long before he punched him at practice: “I think guarding him was the first time I actually met him,” Kerr said. “Craig Ehlo was injured (for the Cavs), so I started at the 2 in that game. I guarded Michael and he guarded me. Talk about the all-time mismatch physically. I was a buck-eighty. I remember I made the first shot of the game with him on me, felt really good about that, and then six minutes into the game he hadn’t scored. I was thinking, sitting there during a timeout, ‘Michael hasn’t even scored yet. I’m doing pretty well.’ I thought about it and I realized he hadn’t even taken a shot yet. He’s been passing to all his teammates. ‘Why hasn’t he shot yet?’ And then over the next four minutes he just torched me. Made like six straight shots and then Lenny Wilkens took me out. By the end of the game he had like 48, I finished with two. Just that first bucket of the game. That was my welcome to the ‘Michael Jordan World’ moment.”