Golf has helped a lot of people bond with Michael Jordan, even though the latter has a reserved personality. The Chicago Bulls legend loves spending time on the greens playing golf with his peers. During an appearance on BlackTree TV, Craig Hodges said that he now wonders in retrospect what his relationship with MJ would’ve been like if he had accepted the Bulls superstar’s invitations to join him on the golf course.
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Hodges was a member of the Bulls from 1988 to 92. He won two championships in the Jordan era, but could never establish a friendship with the six-time NBA Champion.
Hodges revealed that he was even invited by MJ to play golf with him, but had to decline for prioritizing his responsibilities as a father.
The 64-year-old said, “I wonder what our relationship would’ve been like if I went out and hit the ball with him. You know what’s so crazy, he offered me to go once or twice, but it was always a thing where I had my sons, so, the timing just wasn’t right and it never happened.”
“Even to this day, I would love to hit the ball with him,” he added.
Hodges said that he has nothing but love for MJ and if he gets another invite today, he will be more than happy to join his former teammate.
The former NBA star was an integral part of the Bulls because of his shooting skills. Hodges was a sharpshooter for the team and held some impressive records that still stand today.
He is one of the two players, along with Larry Bird, to have won three consecutive Three-Point Contests. He also holds the record for most consecutive shots made (19) and most points scored in a single round (25).
Despite being so great in his game, Hodges wasn’t good at making friends and he isn’t close to many players on the team, including MJ.
He had an activist mindset and believed in using his influence and platform for the greater good. In his era, the country was divided and was going through a politically charged phase. In the aftermath of the Rodney King incident where he was brutally beaten by white police officers, Hodges called for the players to boycott Game 1 of the 1991 NBA Finals.
However, he was in the minority with his opinion and received pushback from the likes of Jordan and Magic Johnson. While MJ called him “crazy” for demanding a boycott, Magic stated that his idea was “too extreme” for everyone to be on board.
This moment might’ve estranged them further, but he later admitted that he understood why MJ wasn’t interested in his idea of protest.
Hodges said, “Michael didn’t speak out largely because he didn’t know what to say…not because he was a bad person.”
The following year, after the 1992 championship, he was dropped from the team and went on to play in the Italian league. Hopefully, Hodges will get another chance to befriend his former teammate over a game of golf.
