Not many players in NBA history can claim they performed better when they faced Michael Jordan. That distinction only belongs to Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. The two players battled 48 times, including the playoffs, and the Hawks icon averaged 29.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals, numbers well above career averages and his best campaigns. The forward elevated his game against the Bulls icon not because he had a beef with him, but because he knew it was the only way his team could win.
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In a resurfaced clip from his interview on the All the Smoke podcast, Wilkins recalled how players had to be at their best when playing Jordan and the Bulls. He said,
“I found this out couple years ago, didn’t realise that he and I were the only folks in NBA history to average 30 against one another our whole career. You had to man, you had to get 30, [Against Michael Jordan.]”
"If you ain't ever face Mike, You can't make that comment"
~ Dominique Wilkins #NBA pic.twitter.com/Et16RimE1F
— The Jordan Rules (@Rules23Jordan) November 1, 2024
He also recalled his favorite performance against the Bulls — an outing where he scored 57 in Atlanta. Of course, Jordan wasn’t too pleased about Wilkins scoring 57 against the Bulls and took it personally. The next time the two teams met, the six-time NBA champion warned the entire Hawks team before the game that he was gunning for revenge. The Hawks icon recalled,
“We in the locker room, MJ walks into our locker room, suit and tie, and I’m like ‘he coming into our locker room? What he coming in here for?’ He walks by me, gets to Randy Whitman, taps him on the ass, and says ‘lace em up, its going to be a long night.'”
Jordan scored 60 points that night, but the Hawks won the game. However, Wilkins was upset that the five-time MVP did what he said he would. While they had a competitive rivalry on the court, they respected each other off it. The retired forward couldn’t help but praise the six-time NBA champion, saying,
“He was a hard man to beat… if you ain’t ever faced him, you don’t understand. If you ain’t ever faced Mike you can’t make that comment. Man I played against some of the most hard-nosed, talented players to ever play the game, he was a phenomenon, and had attitude to go with it.”
Wilkins tried his best to beat Jordan and the Bulls every time he faced them. However, Jordan knew the forward would bring his A-game and followed suit, which made him respect the guard even more.
