For a lot of the new generation of basketball fans, “The Last Dance” documentary gave an insight into the mindset of Michael Jordan. He was a ruthless competitor who took the slightest of insults personally and was out to humiliate those who he felt wronged him in any way.
Jerry Stackhouse apparently didn’t get the memo regarding MJ, and he made the wrong decision of calling him out once. Stackhouse was the third pick of the 1995 NBA Draft and was having a great rookie season, so before a game against Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, he said that no one can stop him, including MJ. The great Julius Erving was in attendance for the matchup, and Roland Lazenby, in his book Michael Jordan: The Life, mentions that Erving was left impressed with the way Jordan dominated the rookie.
“Jerry Stackhouse, a rookie out of North Carolina, learned that same lesson after boasting that he could hold his own against Jordan, based on their summer showdowns back in Chapel Hill. “Nobody can stop me in this league, not even Michael Jordan,” he told a reporter for a story in the morning papers in Philadelphia. That night, Jordan talked his way through 48 points and allowed Stackhouse a mere 13. “It was just very clinical,” said Julius Erving, who was watching from the stands.”
The Bulls beat the Sixers 120-93 on the night to improve to 30-3 on the season, and they would eventually end up with a then-record 72 wins in a single campaign. We also had an interview with Lazenby where he spoke about Jordan and Kobe Bryant, so do check it out.
Michael Jordan Always Took It Personally
Getting back to Michael Jordan, he was always on the lookout for some added motivation. He would sometimes even make up stories as a means to get himself worked up, as he famously did with LaBradford Smith.
Smith had scored 37 points against the Bulls while Jordan struggled, but the Bulls still managed to beat Smith’s Bullets. Smith was keen to not make a big deal out of it as he refused to say anything against Jordan after the game, but MJ made up a conversation in his head where Smith told him, “Nice game, Mike.” He then proceeded to score 36 points in the first half of their next meeting, so you weren’t safe even if you didn’t say anything.
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