Michael Jordan was always a big trash talker. The Chicago Bulls legend never backed down when people tried to go at him, no matter who they were, MJ was ready to fire back. Even when he wasn’t trolled or teased, Jordan used to attack rivals, trying to prove that he was the better player on the court with his game and mind tricks.
Moreover, when others dared to trash-talk him, that only fueled MJ’s competitiveness, and many people learned that the hard way. One of the most memorable stories about Jordan shutting down people with big mouths happened in 1987, when a young Reggie Miller, who would become one of his biggest rivals in the 90s, tried to bring him down.
Talking with Jimmy Kimmel in 2015, the Indiana Pacers legend recalled that during his rookie season, he was having a nice game against the Chicago Bulls. One of his veterans persuaded him to talk bad to Michael Jordan, which MJ didn’t appreciate. After that, His Airness went off and completely eclipsed Miller.
“My rookie year we were playing the Chicago Bulls, and this is Michael Jordan’s third or fourth year in. And we were playing an exhibition game…most veterans do not like to play in exhibition games, they want to get to the real thing. I’m a wide-eyed, energetic rookie and…Michael’s going through the motions. And Chuck Person—who’s on my team—who is a trash-talker as well, is like, “Can you believe Michael Jordan, the guy everyone’s talking about, who’s supposed to be able to walk on water? You’re out here killing him, Reg! … You should be talking to him!” And I was like, “You know what, you’re right!” “Michael…who do you think you are? The great Michael Jordan? That’s right, there’s a new kid on town!” He kind of looks at me and starts shaking his head. So at half I have 10, and he has four points…end of the game, the second half, he ended up with 44 and I ended up with 12. So he outscored me 40-2. And as he’s walking off, he’s like, “Be sure, and be careful, you never talk to Black Jesus like that.”
So many players thought they could go at Michael Jordan and get away with it, but His Airness always made sure to humble them. It’s incredible that during his third year in the NBA, he already called himself ‘Black Jesus’, which shows how confident he was in his talents.
Jordan and Miller had more battles over the years, creating a big rivalry where they even got physical on the court. In the end, ‘Black Jesus’ prevailed over Miller, ruining his chances to win a championship.
