Michael Jordan was never afraid of challenges, regardless of how hard or strange they were. He showed that throughout his honored NBA career, and even after he retired, Jordan never stopped.
MJ normally competed against other players and took every challenge down the road, even betting with Chris Paul that he could make a series of shots without missing or an entire camp would get free shoes.
Jordan didn’t lose that challenge, but way before that, the 6x NBA champion faced a tough competition when he appeared on Japanese TV. In case you don’t know, Japanese games are really curious, to say the least, and MJ learned that firsthand.
Back in 2000, His Airness appeared on Pro Sportsman, a Japanese show. He played ‘9 hoops,’ where he had to make a shot in nine different hoops. Jordan played two versions of this, one harder than the other.
For starters, these hoops aren’t normal; they are constantly moving around the backboard. This caused Jordan to miss nine of the 12 shots he attempted at the beginning.
The second one, called “9 Hoops Hide,” turned out to be better for MJ. The baskets don’t move. Instead, they are placed in different positions and angles. He performed better in that second game, becoming the only person to beat 9 Hoops Hide.
After a big loss in the first game, MJ probably took things personally and went to get that revenge. Things worked out for him, as he won the second game and 200,000 yen ($2,450).
One year after his participation on the show, His Airness would return to the NBA, signing with the Washington Wizards, where he played for two seasons before retiring for a third and final time.
