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23 Incredible Michael Jordan Stories That Prove He's A Champion Of Scumbags As Well

by Julian Sonny

It's been 16 years since his retirement (let's not count that run with the Wizards), but Michael Jordan is still the greatest of all time.

No champion in any sport has ever displayed more heart, more passion and a greater work ethic than Mike. Personal accounts and legendary stories prove this.

However, what he also possessed is something that he's still known for, and it ain't nothing nice!

To put it bluntly: He was a dick. His teammates, opponents, hell, maybe even his family, would likely agree.

In his defense, being the best doesn't come without some foul play, whether it's blatantly disrespecting everyone you come in contact with, or playing dirty mind games. Jordan was the king of that!

While MJ might not have the cleanest reputation as a role model, no one every dominated the game like he did, and his career is still something we can all learn from.

So, be a d*ck, be an assh*le, but most importantly, be a winner. Learn from the GOAT below.

When he ended Muggsy Bogues' career by being a dick.

According to former Chicago Bulls assistant coach, Johnny Bach, MJ destroyed Muggsy Bouges' confidence and ended his career in one game:

On the biggest possession of the game, Muggsy had the ball with the Hornets down 1. Jordan backed off of him and told him: 'shoot it you f*cking midget.' Muggsy shot it, and didn't come close.

A year later, Muggsy actually told Johnny Bach he believes that single play ruined his career. His shot was never the same and neither was his game.

He also ended Rodney McCray's career in a similar fashion, but during practice.

According to Bach, MJ was the most intense player he's ever seen. That wasn't limited to just the game, either:

He's the most viciously competitive player I've ever seen. That's what makes him, I think, the greatest player ever. He has practically ruined Rodney McCray for us.

A source claims that during practice, MJ "is in Rodney's face, screaming, 'You're a loser! You've always been a loser!'"

When he punched teammate Steve Kerr in the face during practice.

"I knew that if we were in an actual fight he could actually probably kill me if he wanted to,” Kerr says. “It was more just I'm going to stand up for myself."

When he totally owned Jim Jackson during the middle of a game.

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While defending the title during the 1996 season, Jordan had to deal with Nets guard Jim Jackson, who was mouthing off to him the whole game.

Michael completely owned him when he pointed out that he was wearing Jordans. The Bulls went on to win the game.

Then there's the airport gambling prank.

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MJ was (and still is) a notorious bettor. During his days with the Bulls, he would bet with his teammates on whose luggage would come out first at the airport.

Jordan also used to make sure airport security would bring out his luggage first, meaning yes, he was a cheater.

This epic explanation of what he was going to do to Shaq's teammate.

Shaq shared an awesome story about Jordan during his interview for the "Dan Patrick Show." He claims Jordan described exactly what he was going to do on one play and then went out and did it.

"'I'm coming down. I'm going to dribble it between my legs twice. I'm going to pump fake and then I'm going to shoot a jumper. And then I'm going to look at you.' And that's exactly what he did."

The blind free throw dedicated to Dikembe Mutombo.

Remember Jordan's infamous blind free throw in 1991? During his game against the Denver Nuggets, he just had to flex when Dikembe Mutombo started talking trash.

He had the best response ever: "Hey, Mutombo. This one's for you." Jordan made the free throw, of course.

"Is that big enough?"

After he dunked over the much smaller John Stockton (6'0"), a Jazz fan sitting courtside yelled out to Jordan to dunk over somebody his own size.

Literally, the next possession after, MJ posterized center Mel Turpin (7'1"). He turned to the fan and asked: "Is that big enough?"

He made coach Chuck Daly play him one-on-one at golf by forcing his way into his hotel room.

After losing to Dream Team coach Chuck Daly in a one-on-one golf tournament, Jordan forced his way into Chuck's hotel room the next morning by pounding on the door nonstop, demanding a rematch.

He wouldn't leave until he got dressed to play. MJ went on to win the second game.

He also trash-talked Bill Clinton at the golf course.

Jordan is just as competitive on the golf course as he was on the basketball court. He was just as maniacal on the links.

During a friendly game with former President Bill Clinton, he forced the commander in chief to step up to the pro level, asking him, "You're going to play from the little girls' tees?" They laughed it of and Clinton obliged.

The Kwame Brown experiment.

By coming out of high school as the number one pick, there was a lot of pressure on 18-year-old Kwame Brown. However, being hand-selected by Michael Jordan to help in his comeback was next level. Kwame wasn't ready for it.

While Kwame thought he would receive mentorship from the greatest basketball player alive, he ended up receiving more abuse, which was well-documented.

According to multiple sources, Jordan would say and do everything he could to Brown in order to make him cry in front of the team. It worked, and like so many players before him, Kwame never recovered

His response to the criticism about his jump shot.

The only knock on Jordan's game was that he could have been a better three-point shooter.

However, when a reporter once told him that Clyde Drexler was better than him in that aspect of the game, he responded with this: "Clyde is a better three-point shooter than I choose to be."

The ping pong story.

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MJ once lost a game of ping pong to his teammate. He bought his own table immediately after and spent the next six months training every day until he beat him in the rematch.

This photo also proves he picked up beer pong as well.

His ongoing rivalry with Scottie Pippen.

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Michael Jordan could not stop competing with teammate Scottie Pippen, no matter where they were.

During practices, the two used to stay late after everyone left (up to three hours longer) and go one-on-one, not leaving the court until early the next morning.

However, Jordan couldn't compete with Pippen in all areas.

This rivalry didn't just end on the court for Jordan and Pippen. According to the legend, Scottie was very well endowed, which legitimately bothered Jordan.

According to Johnny Bach, once again,

"You should have seen the girls Pippen had waiting for him everywhere we went. Madonna used to pick him up in a limo with a hot tub every time we went to LA. Michael used to tell Madonna he could satisfy her better, to which Madonna would tell him 'not a chance.'"

They even bet on whose son has the biggest member.

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According to this Reddit thread, Jordan put up a wager with his teammates on who's son has the biggest penis.

"Before the New York game earlier in the month, Jordan, Pippen, and Grant, all of whom had boys under three at the time, had debated for a half hour about whose child had the biggest penis. They eventually agreed it was Pippen's."

Bullying Bill Cartwright.

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Jordan was unhappy with the Bulls organization for letting Charles Oakley go, so when they brought Bill Cartwright to town, he made sure the front office was aware.

MJ even nicknamed him "Medical Bill" and intentionally threw terrible passes his way in practice to make him look bad.

When he tried to take an MTV VJ's virginity in a bet.

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In 1995, Jordan was spending some time with Russell Simmons in NYC when they decided to put a wager up in a game of dice. MTV VJ Lisa Kennedy was with them at the time and MJ bet that if he won, she had to come back to his hotel room with him.

Kennedy, who was a virgin at the time, was terrified, telling TMZ she thought Michael would "eviscerate me from the inside out." Fortunately for her, she convinced them to play for tickets to the Knicks-Bulls game, instead.

Cheating against an old lady at a game of cards for no money.

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Former UNC men's basketball coach Buzz Peterson once recalls inviting Michael Jordan over to his home where he played a friendly game of cards with his mother, for no money, of course.

Buzz also recalls witnessing Michael trying to cheat while she left for the bathroom. Just like his game on the court, Jordan goes at all costs to win — money on the line, or not.

When he exposed LeBron's game during an ESPN interview.

In an interview with ESPN Magazine, Jordan made an interesting observation about LeBron James and what opponents can expect from his attack.

"So if I have to guard him… I'm gonna push him left, so nine times out of 10, he's gonna shoot a jump shot. If he goes right, he's going to the hole and I can't stop him. So I ain't letting him go right."

When he disrespected rapper Chamillionaire in front of NBA stars.

"You know what, I tell you what, you pay $15,000 right now for a jersey from me and I'll take a picture with you."

His strategy while playing against Charles Barkley in the Finals.

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During the 1993 NBA Finals between the Bulls and the Suns, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley agreed to play a game of golf together the day before game four. The pair played 48 holes, and during their time, Jordan gifted Charles with $20,000 diamond earrings.

When asked why he did the deed, Jordan responded with, "He won't get in my way the rest of the series, what's $20,000 to me? Charles thinks we're great friends. I hate that fat f*ck." MJ scored 55 points in game 4 and was world champion two games later.

When he finally shared us his secret to success:

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Citations: Compilation of Michael Jordan Stories (Reddit)