Legendary Producer Opens Up on Michael Jordan’s Competitive Side While Recalling Iconic Softball Game

Every story about Michael Jordan will always include one aspect: MJ was a competitor. If His Airness didn’t already prove this during his epic dynasty run with the Bulls, it was later cemented during the famed documentary The Last Dance. 

You would think that nearly every tale of Michael taking competition too far had been told. I mean it would have to be right? Well, time to add another one to the list.

Legendary record producer Jermaine Durpi shared a fun story of the six-time NBA champ during his recent appearance on the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast.

The panel pulled up an old photo of Dupri coaching a softball game that involved MJ from many years ago. When they asked him for the context, he started to laugh. “Oh man that game, he was talking s*** the whole game. You know that,” he stated. 

Trash-talking is not a new trait of Jordan. However, it is quite funny that even in a simple softball game with no stakes, the Hall of Famer refused to accept anything short of winning. Dupri reiterated this.

“Anything that got something to do with any type of playing, Jordan, he’s too competitive. He can’t even control the damn softball game. Ya know, it’s his team. ‘We gonna win.'”

The Grammy winner didn’t dislike the memory by any means. “That was a fun game,” he added. “He was very competitive the whole time.”

To clarify, there is nothing wrong with someone always wanting to win. MJ is not alone in this thinking. Fellow basketball legends like Kobe Bryant or Larry Bird would probably also have refused to lose, even in a softball game.

And it’s known, thanks to The Last Dance, that it didn’t matter if anything was on the line. MJ wanted to be called the best. So Dupri calling him “too competitive” is both accurate and a misread. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Few know that better than His Airness.

Besides, Jordan probably had a little chip on his shoulder from his days playing baseball. He knew that he wasn’t gonna let a bunch of amateurs show him up. Not him. Not a man who hit .202 with 3 home runs.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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