Michael Jordan has made incredible friendships over the years, both on and off the court. Competitive as he was and still is, MJ is a very chill person when he’s not trying to beat others, often having a lot of fun. During and after his NBA career, Jordan met a lot of people and connected with them.
It goes from players, coaches, other athletes, and referees to celebrities and people who helped him build his empire. MJ can be seen spending time with artists like Travis Scott, but he’s also a famous guy in Hollywood circles. His Airness is good friends with one of the hottest actors of the moment, Mark Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was always been a fan of Jordan, and he has the luck to call MJ a friend, supporting him no matter what, even when No. 23 beat his Boston Celtics. The ‘Me Time’ star spoke out about his relationship with the GOAT in 2013, saying nothing but good words about Jordan, making it clear he loves and respects him.
Mark Wahlberg Talks About His Friend Michael Jordan And Explains Why He’s The GOAT
The Jordan effect was so big on Wahlberg that he revealed he didn’t care if the mighty Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics simply because the reds had Jordan on their lineup.
“I actually didn’t mind when they [the Bulls] would beat the Celtics because Michael Jordan was just the greatest player of all time and one of the most charismatic guys,” Wahlberg told NBA.com in 2013. “I loved [Dennis] Rodman and I loved [John] Paxson, and what a great guy he is. There were so many great teams, and I certainly can’t deny greatness.”
“I was so pleased and so happy when Michael came back,” he added. “It’s great to see that kind of talent at that level. I like to see champions win.”
They met and developed a big relationship, with Wahlberg demonstrating how much he appreciates it after all the good gestures Jordan had with him and his family.
“I’ve always been a big Bulls fan,” the actor revealed. “I was certainly a huge Jordan fan and Michael is a friend of mine. He’s been so kind to my family and my kids.”
They were so close that they even released a signature shoe together, the exclusive Jordan 4s: “The Wahlburger.” Jordan only made 46 pairs of these shoes, giving 23 to His Airness and 23 to Wahlberg. The latter decided to keep them all for him and not share the shoes with anybody.
“People went crazy for them, and it’s hard because I have so many friends who I would want to give the shoes to but we literally got 23 pairs,” Wahlberg said via The Sportsrush. “You know I got 23 pairs. MJ got 23 pairs. That was it.”
This seems to be a great relationship, and it’s great to see that these two are this close. They’ve found a lot of success in their respective areas, becoming big figures and finding ways to collab with people from other fields. Imagine how great MJ was that even a diehard Celtics fan rooted for him.