“If you saw Michael Jordan sticking his tongue out, your team was in for a rough night”: There have been many scary versions of players throughout the ages, none scarier than a tongue out Chicago Bull

Mess with the bull – you get the horns. Mess with Michael Jordan, you get the tongue.

That is not to be taken into any other context, apart from a competitive sports perspective. Michael Jordan was a scary enough dude to come up against, but if you saw him play with his tongue out, you knew very well there was only one letter in your W/L column, and it was not the 23rd letter of the alphabet.

There is “hands-on knees” LeBron James, there is “scowling” Kobe Bryant, and there is also “emotionless dunking” Kawhi Leonard. But atop all of them sits MJ, like how Ryomen Sukuna from Jujutsu Kaisen sits atop all the other demons. The deafening silence that ensues a high arcing mid-ranger with a silhouette of a 6’6 man with his cupcake taster out is legendary.

The picture would have been even better if the league let players wear jewelry on the court. IN his first few years, short shorts, a gold chain, and an “I’m the best” swagger was enough to show the league why they had to peg him down a few notches. He had to wait for 7 long years until he got his first ring, but from then on, he was a different man.

Also Read: “Michael Jordan did exactly what he said he’d do!”: When Shaquille O’Neal recounted the Bulls legend’s RUTHLESS moment against him

Michael Jordan could terrorize you with his eyes closed and one hand behind his back – there was no need for a mean mug every game

There were very few instances Mike did not take things personally. Every game was like a final for him, and he played like it was his last game ever. The need to put on a show and his innate need to show the world a 6’6 guard could beat even a 7-foot center was what made him stand out from the rest. A habit that he picked up from his dad “while he went to work” Jordan did that too, while he was working his way through opponents.

While he started with an attitude of “Bring on everybody”, in the later years, he knew who to pick on, and who to hold back with a straight arm. Jordan turned from a brash young college athlete to a mature, level-headed assassin once he decided to go bald. Jokes aside, he always knew the window of an athlete to prove his worth is quite short – so he took all matchups seriously.

His protégé Kobe entered the league just like a younger version of himself. Always wanting to take on everybody, wanting to immediately take on MJ. Only after playing for a couple of years, did he find that maturity that turned Hot-Head Kobe into the Black Mamba.

Also Read: Michael Jordan was banking on Space Jam’s $250 million revenue while making bets in the movie itself!