LeBron James‘ recent standoff with the Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka might remind many of Michael Jordan’s intimation tactics during his playing days. The former New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn Nets) coach, John Calipari, very well understood the repercussions of angering His Airness. His accounts of MJ’s in-game antics show just how intimidating the 6x NBA champion was.
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Though LeBron James was calm enough to deal with Ime Udoka’s taunts from the sidelines, MJ was the exact opposite when it came to dealing with coaches. Many coaches feared Jordan’s intimidation tactics, which often prompted feeble reactions because nobody wanted to evoke his anger.
As recently resurfaced by the Twitter (now X) user The NBA Realist, Calipari reflected in 1998 how MJ would stare at his team while he motivated his players during a timeout. It was also MJ’s final stint with the Chicago Bulls that year, what many call his ‘Last Dance’. At that moment, Calipari thought even if Jordan grabbed him by his arm, he would only be able to politely say, ‘Excuse me,’ to defuse the situation.
Engaging with Michael Jordan would be a fatal mistake, as Calipari knew well. Nobody wanted to awaken the vindictive side of the Chicago Bulls superstar. Calipari had recalled his experience dealing with Jordan from the sidelines and remarked, “To say I was a little intimidated is an understatement. Everybody knew what Michael was capable of.”
Skip is right: NBA Coaches were petrified of Michael Jordan and wouldn’t dare risk angering him with trash talk or perceived slights.
Example: In 1998, John Calipari reflected on his efforts to avoid triggering the GOAT at all costs:
“I remember being in a timeout and Michael… https://t.co/lSKCFeWabb pic.twitter.com/DEgcFHT97A
— The NBA Realist (@nbarealist23) December 5, 2023
In a recent episode of Undisputed, Skip Bayless rightly said that no one would dare to talk trash to Michael Jordan from the sidelines, like Udoka did with LeBron. To this day, MJ’s petrifying presence and sheer mental dominance over his opponents remain unrivaled in the league. Perhaps, this quality was one of the elements that made Jordan arguably one of the greatest players to set foot on the NBA floor.
Skip Bayless uses LeBron James-Ime Udoka incident to reclaim Michael Jordan as the GOAT
Ime Udoka and LeBron James got into a heated altercation during the final minutes of the Rockets vs Lakers game last Saturday. Though the Lakers won with a comfortable 107-97 margin, Udoka tried getting on LeBron James’ nerves by allegedly calling him a “bi**h” from the sidelines. Following this, Udoka was immediately ejected from the game while James received a technical for engaging in the verbal altercation.
Skip Bayless has been a strong proponent of Michael Jordan as the GOAT over LeBron James for the longest time. The Ime Udoka incident provided the 72-year-old analyst more incentive to reassert his claim in the GOAT debate.
In the Undisputed episode following this incident, Skip remarked, “Trust me, back in the day, no coach would have dared to speak to Michael’s face during a game like Ime did.”
.@RealSkipBayless on Ime Udoka’s exchange with LeBron James: pic.twitter.com/qwjd96414O
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 4, 2023
Recalling MJ’s prowess, Bayless reminded everyone of the potential consequences that added a fear factor against him in the league. Explaining himself, Bayless further added, “All hell would be unleashed on you because he might score a hundred points on you. If he didn’t do it in that game, he would score 200 the next game and 300 the next game because you just didn’t mess with him.”
