- Michael Jordan is possibly the greatest one-on-one player in NBA history
- MJ held his Michael Jordan Senior Flight School camp from 1997 to 2010
- In 2003, Jordan lost a one-on-one game vs. an investment banker
Michael Jordan is known to be a ruthless competitor that would stop at nothing to defeat his opponents… In fact, Jordan didn’t just beat his opponents, he destroyed them, loving every minute of it.
This was why MJ is regarded by most as the G.O.A.T. of the NBA. Oh, and his six NBA titles, five MVPs, six Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles, and his Defensive Player of the Year award helps Jordan’s G.O.A.T. case, as well.
Jordan is often dubbed as the greatest one-on-one player the game of basketball has ever seen, as well. So, it might come as a shock that MJ was once beaten on camera in a one-on-one game by an investment banker.
Jordan vs. Rogers
Michael Jordan routinely holds his Michael Jordan Flight School camp, which is one of the top youth basketball camps around. This isn’t the only camp Jordan has, though.
MJ also holds his Michael Jordan Senior Flight School camp for men 34 years old or older. He held this camp from 1997-2010 at the Mirage Resort Casino in Las Vegas.
On top of being at least 34 years old, you also had to pay $15,000 to join the camp, which lasted four days. So, you definitely had to have some money to be able to join Jordan’s camp, and it is safe to say John Rogers was not hurting for cash.
Rogers is the CEO of Ariel Capital Management, and he attended the Michael Jordan Senior Flight School camp in 2003, which was the third consecutive Flight School camp he attended. At this time, Jordan and Rogers had a friendship with each other.
Rogers was one of the people Jordan invited to play in scrimmages MJ held in 2001 when he was trying to get back in shape, getting ready for his return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards.
“I was there for about a half-dozen games, but eventually got cut when some of the top college players who were finishing their seasons came home,” Rogers said. “I got switched off on Michael from time to time during those games, and I remember he was going up for a shot once, and I thought for sure I was going to block it. I whiffed.”
The 2003 camp Rogers attended occurred a little after Jordan retired from the NBA for good. Jordan held the camp, and as he did at the end of all his camps, Jordan asked if any of the campers wanted to play him in a game of one-on-one up to three points.
Jordan had some takers, and he did what he normally did, which was beat the campers with ease. The final camper to raise his hand to play Jordan was none other than Rogers.
As we all know, Jordan finished his NBA career with a league record 30.1 points per game average; his opponent, John Rogers, on the other hand, played college basketball at Princeton and averaged 3.5 points per game in his career.
So, how did Rogers beat the NBA’s G.O.A.T.? Simply put, Rogers didn’t let Jordan, a notorious trash-talker, get inside his head. He also attacked MJ at every opportunity he had.
Jordan checked the ball to Rogers as he continued his trash talk to his previous opponents, as well as an attempt to get inside Rogers’s head.
“Don’t be mad at me, I’m just good,” Jordan said. “Y’all think I had this camp just so you can beat me?”
Just as Jordan was finishing his sentence, Rogers attacked the hoop on the right side, finishing with a nice double-clutch layup.
Rogers 1. Jordan 0.
The game was make-it-take-it, so Rogers got the ball back. There was no way he could score on Jordan again. Right?
Wrong. The next play, Rogers faked a jumper and attacked the left side of the hoop. He finished with an equally impressive left-handed layup over Jordan.
Rogers 2. Jordan 0.
By now, Jordan was mad. He laughed after Rogers’s first basket, but this time, you could tell MJ meant business.
Rogers attacked toward the right again, and he got a good look, as Jordan still held back defensively, but Rogers missed. This gave Jordan the ball, and he buried a straightaway jumper from behind the three-point line.
Rogers 2. Jordan 1.
Even though Jordan buried a three, every bucket was counted as just a single point. This would confuse Rogers, as Jordan would bury a second straight three. Rogers attempted to walk off the court, thinking the game was over, but Jordan called him back.
Rogers 2. Jordan 2.
After a couple of pump fakes, where he could have driven past Rogers, Jordan fired another shot from beyond the arc, but this time he missed. This gave Rogers another possession, and he’d take a long jumper and miss.
The ball was back in Jordan’s hands, the most clutch player in NBA history. He’d surely end the game now. Right? Wrong again.
Jordan shot another three and missed. This gave the ball back to Rogers, and this time, he’d make the most of it.
Rogers again attacked the basket on the left side. Jordan played him close and contested Rogers’ left-handed layup. As the ball fell through the hoop, Jordan screamed, “Oh, no.”
Rogers 3. Jordan 2.
Rogers did the unthinkable, he defeated Michael Jordan in a game of one-on-one. Actor and comedian Damon Wayans was at the camp, and he roared in excitement. He pointed at a photo of Jordan that hung on the wall and decided to roast Jordan over it.
“Take that picture down,” Wayans said. “And put up Rogers right there.”
This was an exciting moment for the investment banker, as it would be for anyone. To play a living legend and beat him at his own game must have felt special.
Of course, if Jordan played with 100% aggression, Rogers likely would not have scored a single point. Still, the game happened, and Rogers got the win. That’s all that matters.
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