Michael Jordan was well-known for his intense and intimidating personality throughout his NBA career. Some had the misfortune of getting a glimpse of MJ’s wrath before he even stepped foot on an NBA court. Mike Dunleavy Sr. recalled on FanDuel TV’s Run it Back how his first interaction with Jordan nearly turned into a physical altercation.
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The former guard set the scene, explaining how his first meeting with His Airness came during a practice matchup against the 1984 USA Olympic team before the Summer Games in LA. The USA Olympic side only included college players at the time and a team of veteran NBA stars were in charge of roughing them up before the Olympics.
Dunleavy, 29 years old at the time, almost punched MJ in an attempt to swat the ball from his hands.
“It was a turnover, the ball gets thrown down to the left corner. And [Jordan’s] going from the left corner into the basket,” the former Milwaukee Buck said. “I’m at halfcourt, I’m just hustling, I’m just going after the play… All of a sudden [Jordan] goes up, and I’m going up, and I take a swing at the ball.”
Slapping Michael Jordan is one way to introduce yourself…
Mike Dunleavy Sr. remembers almost fighting MJ the first time they met, a guard not letting him into Jordan’s golf course and the moment he saw GOAT potential
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— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 31, 2024
The 11-year veteran recalled how Jordan would hold the ball in front of his face while in air, before making a circular move to lay it up or dunk it. Unfortunately for Dunleavy Sr., he waited too long to take a swipe at the ball, hitting the 21-year-old rising star across the face instead.
“When the ball was right in front of [MJ’s] face, that’s when I swung and that’s when he moved the ball. So I have my full hand going through his face and I try to catch him on the way down,” Dunleavy added, sharing how the future Bulls legend wanted to fight after the incident.
“He tried to fight after he got down,” the 70-year-old added. Jordan thought that Dunleavy had taken a cheap shot at him, so he wanted to retaliate. However, things would get better after the two met each other in the league.
It certainly was an unorthodox way to first cross paths with a future superstar, but it made for a memorable experience for Dunleavy Sr. The altercation was so unforgettable, in fact, that Dunleavy has a picture of the moment on his phone.
“Unfortunately, you can’t see my phone because I have this great shot… it’s a centerfold of him with the USA Olympic team,” he said.
Dunleavy revealed how the picture is the first thing he brings up whenever someone mentions Jordan’s name around him. He even shared how before making his rounds at MJ’s golf course, The Grove XXIII, Dunleavy needed to whip out the photo in order to convince the security that he knew Jordan.
The two have apparently mended their relationship in the years following the incident. But even 40 years later, the moment is still clear as day in Mike Dunleavy’s head.
