Michael Jordan had one of the greatest careers in the history of the NBA. The NBA Hall of Famer helped the Bulls reach such heights in the 1990s that he is considered the GOAT for his contribution to the team. Considering MJ is still one of the most popular people in the world, despite retiring from the NBA a long time ago, fans are never tired of hearing stories about him.
Many of those stories were uncovered in ESPN’s ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries on Netflix. Among them was when Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr got into a heated altercation in 1995 that ended with MJ punching Kerr in the face during a training session.
The infamous fight is currently in the spotlight due to the fight between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole during the Warriors’ training as the team is coached by Kerr.
Kerr’s biggest concern about the fight is the fact that the video of it got leaked. He believes it’s a huge issue that this happened is unclear when Green will return to the team as he has seemingly lost the respect of his teammates after punching Poole.
Steve Kerr Explains How Getting Punched By Michael Jordan Actually Improved Their Relationship
Coming back to the MJ-Kerr story, most fans are aware of how tough Mike is. During his playing days, he never let his teammates slack off or get the better of him, even during practice sessions.
While many may think that Kerr and Jordan’s relationship deteriorated after getting punched by MJ, the current Warriors head coach explained the complete opposite happened.
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https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1253118892626587648
“I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and that probably sounds really weird. I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody at home. It has to be understood in the context of intense competition. One thing that was more prevalent back then than now was the intensity of practices back then. I think we’re smarter now with preserving our players. We don’t have as many practice days. It’s more about rest and recovery. … It wasn’t really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But for me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me, and I responded. I feel like I kind of passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.”
As mentioned by Kerr, during his playing days, practice fights weren’t as big of a deal as they are nowadays. Ultimately, he believes the fight improved his relationship with MJ.
Speaking of his relationship being improved with Jordan, a family tragedy also helped Kerr and MJ bond. The crux of the story is the fact that both MJ and Kerr tragically lost their fathers, which became a reason for their bond becoming stronger.
