The NBA Summer League is currently underway. One player who never played in an official Summer League game for the NBA was the legendary Michael Jordan.
Despite this, Jordan did play in a different summer league game, and it has become famous as one of the most incredible performances anyone was lucky enough to witness.
This occurred in 1985 at Chicago State University’s gym. It was the Schlitz Malt Liquor Summer League in Chicago, and Jordan played for a team sponsored by Playboy.
Chicago’s Famed Summer League
Jordan walked in only months removed from his Rookie of the Year campaign with the Chicago Bulls. He wasn’t there for cameras or headlines. He was there because he needed to play.
Jordan famously added the Love of the Game clause in his rookie contract, stating that he could play pickup basketball anytime that he wanted. For an athlete, this was rare, as they usually were not allowed to participate in unsanctioned pickup games or other high-risk physical activities that can cause an injury.
This was the team’s way of protecting their investment.
Jordan shattered that idea with this clause, allowing him to play wherever and whenever he wanted. So, when the Schlitz Malt Liquor Summer League was ready for its season, it caught Jordan’s eye.
The Schlitz Malt Liquor Summer League was a Chicago pro-am basketball league that featured the city’s top streetball legends, including Billy “The Kid” Harris, along with standout college players.
The league also saw many NBA players come out to play, and in 1985, Jordan added his name to that list. It was a hot night in Chicago, with floor temperatures reportedly being recorded above 100 degrees.
That didn’t stop the 4,000 or more fans who came to the arena, and it didn’t stop Jordan. The only problem for MJ was that he didn’t think the competition was stiff enough. So, he had an idea.
Jordan told the organizers of the league to call up some fellow NBA players. This included Jordan’s future rival and Chicago native, Isiah Thomas.
Mark Aguirre was another player Jordan asked to come out. Aguirre couldn’t make it, but planned to come out later that summer. As for Thomas, he did show and was quickly called out by Tracy Dildy, who was a college player at San Diego State.
Dildy thought he could take Thomas, who was basically the biggest star player out of Chicago at the time. According to Mike Smith, who coached Thomas’ team, it didn’t go too well for Dildy.
“The kid threw in a couple of jump shots on Thomas,” Smith said. “And that was it. They went one-on-one for the next five minutes. One time, Thomas is dribbling the ball real low, like the Globetrotters do. And when the kid goes for the ball, Thomas puts it behind his back and goes in for a lay-up.
“Then Thomas is dribbling, and another guy comes over to double-team, and he goes between them and jams left-handed,” Smith explained. “The place went up for grabs.”
Thomas certainly wowed the fans, but it was Jordan who would quickly prove why he’d eventually take over as Chicago’s favorite athlete, despite not being from the Illinois city.
Jordan’s Summer League Duel
Jordan was eager to play high-level basketball during the summer. Alongside him, Thomas and later Aguirre, other NBA players who showed up included Reggie Theus, Terry Cummings, Patrick Ewing, Rickey Green, Maurice Cheeks, and Orlando Woolridge.
On top of the players, the league also had NBA referees like Danny Crawford come out to officiate the games. This let the fans know that they weren’t watching just any old pickup game. They were watching some serious basketball.
The league featured 10-minute quarters, and it was reported that the games would average about 250 total points scored. In one of the games, Jordan had a duel with a future NBA star.
Tim Hardaway Sr. is a Chicago native. He’s most remembered for being part of the Golden State Warriors “Run TMC” of the early 1990s, alongside Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin.
Young fans likely know him as the father of Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Miami Heat. In the mid-1980s, he was a college kid trying to make it to the NBA. What better way to prove you can make it than by dueling Jordan?
This was what happened, according to Hardaway. The two went at it, trading buckets like it was Game 7. Jordan’s team reportedly won the game, but Hardaway claimed the individual scoring battle, 62-60.
“I remember going against him in the Chicago Summer Leagues at IIT in 1985 and 1986,” Hardaway said. “Oh, I f***** Michael up in summer league. I’m not scared to say this. We lost, we should have won, double overtime. S***, Michael then came to me and said, ‘You had a chance.’ That’s all I need.
“He had 60, I had 62,” Hardaway added. “I was on his a**. I wasn’t sticking him. He wasn’t sticking me.”
Unfortunately, there is no footage of the game or any official statistics. Instead, the game lives on through legend, passed down and talked about time and again throughout Chicago.
Jordan captivated fans wherever he played. Whether it was an NBA game, a charity event, or one of Chicago’s famed summer league contests, he always wanted to put on a show and prove he was the best.
This mentality was part of what made Jordan so great. No matter the setting, he always wanted to prove to everyone watching that he was the best player on the court.
