Back in 2015, three of the greatest players in NBA history were at the Global Games. With Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, New York Knicks Patrick Ewing, and Houston Rockets great, Yao Ming, the group made MJ feel intimidated. Standing at 6’6″, Jordan was tall for his position of shooting guard. However, he is dwarfed by the likes of Ewing and Ming who stand at 7’0″ and 7’6″ respectively.
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As such, when the three legends were presented in front of the audience at the Global Games, Jordan stood in the middle of the court, flanked by the two giants. It made for quite the picture, as Jordan looked rather awkward.
His Airness isn’t one to feel small in front of anybody. So, he did his best to reach their level, standing on his toes for what must have been a hilarious photo. Unfortunately, even then, he wasn’t able to match up to the two Goliaths.
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Despite not being able to keep up with the big men on his toes, he certainly kept up with them on the court. Even though he was 6’6″, Jordan dominated in an era that favored centers. Over the course of his career, he took down several talented big men. This included Ewing, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. A group of legends who just couldn’t take down the GOAT.
Michael Jordan never faced Yao Ming but had plenty of heated battles with Patrick Ewing
Drafted in 2001, Yao Ming never had the pleasure of facing Michael Jordan in his prime. But, Patrick Ewing did face His Airness at the height of his power. Over the course of their careers, MJ and Ewing clashed on several occasions, especially in the Playoffs. In fact, the 90s saw the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls clash on several occasions.
Unfortunately for Ewing, facing Jordan wasn’t easy. His Knicks fell every time they faced off against the Bulls in the Playoffs. The only time they actually got the better of Chicago was in 1994 when Jordan retired from basketball for the first time.
The two had a memorable rivalry, that was coupled with a cordial relationship off the court. However, when it came down to it, Jordan always got the better of Ewing, something that still haunts the latter to this day.
He even refused to watch the Last Dance documentary, claiming he lived through it and didn’t want to revisit those painful memories. A credit to just how much of a force MJ was.
