Michael Jordan‘s relentless pursuit to dominate all competition that stood in his way enabled him to master the art of winning. The glare of Jordan’s brilliance in the NBA in the late 80s and the 90s relegated a lot of legendary players to the shadows. All-time greats like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing couldn’t win any Championships because the mighty Chicago Bulls stood in their way. Dominique Wilkins was another MVP-caliber player who couldn’t get much of the spotlight in the Eastern Conference because of Jordan’s ominous presence. He recently opened up on how MJ’s obsession with winning drove the latter during games and made him an avid gambler as well.
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Despite his illustrious career in the NBA, posterity mostly remembers Wilkins for his showdown against Jordan in the 1988 Slam Dunk contest. The two premier athletes put on a show of peak athleticism and unique creativity that few have been able to replicate. MJ ended up winning the contest in what was a very controversial decision. However, Wilkins’ rim-rattling dunks in Chicago that night had managed to cement his legacy as one of the game’s greatest dunkers.
Dominque Wilkins reveals that Michael Jordan would even bet on drinking water
During a recent sit-down with DJ Vlad, Wilkins looked back at his prolonged career in the NBA. Midway through the interview, Michael Jordan’s name inevitably came up. The 63-year-old provided a unique perspective of his longtime rival that fans often tend to overlook.
Wilkins outlined that Jordan’s obsession with winning fueled his insane competitiveness on the court. And that same obsession with winning and the thrill of competing for it prompted the six-time NBA Champion to indulge in gambling outside the confines of the hardwood. Wilkins further pointed out that Jordan went all out to outperform everybody at everything, no matter how trivial the task or how low the stakes were.
The nine-time All-Star told DJ Vlad, “Oh he[Michael Jordan] competes at everything. I don’t care what it is. I mean, it could be on the golf course, anywhere…drinking a glass of water-it don’t matter. Who can drink it the fastest!”
“He’s gonna bet on it-he’s so competitive that way. But that’s what makes him so great. Because his willingness to not accept losing and there’s very few in this game to ever do that…A lot of the time people don’t mention how great a winner he was,” Wilkins added.
The former Atlanta Hawks star brought up Bill Russell’s name in an attempt to cite other players in the NBA who just refused to lose like MJ. It was pretty evident that Wilkins had a deep sense of respect for the Bulls legend after battling him for so many years.
The 1988 slam dunk contest immortalized both Wilkins and Jordan
Dominique Wilkins told DJ Vlad that Michael Jordan had himself admitted that he had lost the dunk contest that night. The home crowd seemed to have influenced the decision in the Bulls star’s favor. However, Wilkins didn’t seem to care that much about the result.
Because his legendary battle with Jordan won that night, making the contest one of the greatest in NBA history, if not the very greatest. Fans will forever remember Nique’s rim-rattling windmills that reverberated in the Madhouse on Madison on February 7, 1988.
