When talking about the global superstardom of Michael Jordan, it’s very hard to capture MJ’s effect on people. Especially today, when the world is more interconnected than before. But there are a few stories from former NBA athletes that put Jordan’s fame into perspective. Andrei Kirilenko just shared one such story.
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Andrei was the first Russian player to be selected in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft. He joined the Utah Jazz in 2001, playing in the league during MJ’s twilight years. He was on the Knuckleheads podcast when he shared his feelings upon seeing Jordan for the first time.
“When first time you step on the floor against Michael Jordan… Here you are, you know, Mike! I’m playing Michael Jordan, oh my god, I have to touch him,” Andrei Kirilenko recalled.
‘AK-47’ was already MVP of the Russian League and FIBA Under-19 World Cup by the time he laced up in the NBA. And even still, he wondered if he was hallucinating the sight of Michael Jordan.
Nonetheless, the small forward still had a job to do. He was an elite weak-side defender who could use his 6’9 frame to reject shots left and right. Since they were in different conferences though, Andrei Kirilenko only got to play against Michael Jordan four times during his career.
His Jazz won three of the four matchups, with AK-47 averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks across those games. He would go on to become an All-Defensive First-Team player after Jordan’s retirement. But for him, seeing Jordan was the moment when he felt “My memoir is full now.” This is the hold Michael Jordan had on the basketball world. It wasn’t just fans but his competitors who would sing his praises.
MJ earned religious praise from Larry Bird and Reggie Miller
On April 20th, 1986, His Airness set the record for most points in a postseason game. In game 2 of the first round, Jordan erupted for 63 points against the defending Eastern Conference champions, Boston Celtics.
Though the Celtics’ strength would get them through the series, and to the eventual championship, MJ’s display of dominance left the unshakeable Larry Bird shaken. After game 2, the three-time MVP proclaimed that he saw “God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
This was the beginning of Black Jesus. And Mike, being who he was, leaned into it, even using the moniker to trash-talk his opponents. Another of Jordan’s Eastern Conference competitors, Reggie Miller, attested to MJ’s affinity for the nickname.
Miller recalled how he shouted some words at His Airness during one of their first matchups. And in classic Jordan fashion, he took that personally, outscoring Miller and clamping him up after the comments. Reggie recalled how Mike left the game that night, “And I remember him walking off the court, he was like ‘Don’t ever talk trash to Black Jesus.'”
