The NBA is one of the hardest businesses to succeed in. But, one man who has made it to the top is none other than Michael Jordan.
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His Airness became one of the greats through skill, hard work, and of course his mentality. A mentality that was focused on being the best, and at times showed no consideration for those he faced.
There are numerous examples of the same. Many NBA superstars have stories of either trash-talking MJ are being talked trash to by him. However, that was never the case with Detroit Pistons legend Joe Dumars.
Joe Dumars claims he and Michael Jordan had a respectful relationship and never talked trash to each other
In the late 1980s, the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons were heated rivals. To the point where there was zero respect for the other, which almost bordered on hatred.
However, despite all this, Bulls star Michael Jordan and Pistons star Joe Dumars maintained a respectful rivalry. Dumars, who is now Vice President of the NBA revealed in an interview that he and Jordan, win or lose, were always respectful to one another.
Dumars has often been called the “toughest defender he played against” by Michael himself.
It’s always great to hear that the animosity seen on the court isn’t always real. Although, the same can’t be said for some of Joe Dumars’ other teammates.
MJ hated Dumars’ running mate Isiah Thomas to the point he did not want to play with him
While Joe and Michael may have had a respectful rivalry, the same cannot be said for Isiah Thomas. MJ loathed Zeke and refused to play if he was on the 1992 US Olympic Basketball team.
Even to this day, Jordan has little to no respect for Thomas. Something that is unlikely to change anytime soon. But for Dumars, MJ has honor.
