Michael Jordan is often regarded as one of the most lethal players of all time. While fans often stress more importance of Jordan’s unstoppable offensive arsenal, people forget just how skilled the Chicago Bulls legend was on the defensive end. Yes, Jordan did win 10 scoring titles across a 15-year illustrious career. But, in 1988, he was also presented with the Defensive Player of the Year honor. A player who humiliated a majority of the defenders, MJ also had a tough time while guarding a few stars. During a camp, the former Guard revealed the players who troubled him on the defensive end. But, when someone from the crowd yelled out John Starks’s name, MJ ended up laughing.
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John Starks was one of the premier two-way Guards in the 1990s. Playing Shooting Guard for the New York Knicks, Starks had several matchups with Michael Jordan. In those 24 contests, His Airness put up ballistic numbers, recording 31.8 points per game. Despite getting obliterated by the Bulls’ leader in most of their battles, Starks claimed that Clyde Drexler was an easier player to guard than Mike.
Michael Jordan laughs when asked about John Starks being a tough matchup for him
Instagram account @jumpmanhistory recently posted an old clip from when Jordan attended a camp. Answering several questions from those present at the camp, Air Jordan was asked to name the hardest opponents he faced off. MJ praised Allen Iverson, Damon Stoudmire, Rod Strickland, and Muggsy Bogues. But when someone from the crown mentioned John Starks’s name, Jordan had a nice laugh about it.
“The hardest opponent for me to play against in terms of one-on-one? Small guys. Iverson, Damon Stoudamire, Rod Strickland. Those little guards like that, it’s tough for me. Muggsy. Starks? No problem with Starks,” Jordan claimed.
dan and Starks played against each other 24 times. While MJ averaged 31.4 points in those games, the Knicks’ two-guard was prevented to merely 12.8 points per game. Clearly, Jordan didn’t have a lot of problems when it came to defending the 6-foot-3 All-Star.
However, it is fair to say that the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks had their fair share of duels. MJ and Co. met the New York side six times in the Playoff between 1989 and 1996. Apart from the 1994 postseason loss, the campaign during which Jordan was retired, the Illinois side emerged victorious in all other instances.
MJ often trolled players from the New York Knicks
After the dominance of Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys Pistons came to an end, the Chicago Bulls became the best team in the East. The New York Knicks quickly became their rivals, with Patrick Ewing leading a tough bunch of players. Unfortunately, the Knicks could never defeat Phil Jackson’s boys.
Unlike their rivalry with the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls were extremely friendly with the players on New York’s roster. In fact, indulging in playful banter, Jordan would even troll Patrick Ewing and co. on numerous occasions.
