Michael Jordan‘s competitive nature might be as famous as his accomplishments on an NBA court, and it’s not just limited to basketball. In all walks of life, Jordan finds a way to get his competitive juices flowing. Even after his retirement, fans have been privy to countless stories involving the Chicago Bulls legend, especially on the golf course. Recently, on the ‘Spittin’ Chiclets’ podcast, NHL defenseman Ryan Whitney added to the massive pile of stories with one of his own.
Advertisement
The six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls is an avid golfer and does not miss an opportunity to showcase his golf skills. However, the thing with Jordan is that he isn’t afraid to put his money where his mouth is. The player is known to bet huge sums of money on the golf course and accept any challenge that presents itself. So, when he matched up against Ryan Whitney, he was all fired up and trash-talked the NHL player to victory. Here is Whitney describing an exchange with Jordan on the golf course, “He doesn’t say a word to me, we get to the 17th hole, the 35th of the day. He makes his birdie putt, I miss. First thing he says to me all day, and he goes, ‘That’s right, bitch.’ I’m like, oh my god.”
The NBA legend did not stop there. He went on to beat Whitney and followed his above statements with, “A scratch golfer? Bitch, you couldn’t scratch my wife’s ass.” The statements by Jordan had everyone in the podcast dying with laughter. While it made for a hilarious story though, the NHL player described how it made him feel at the moment and said, “I just left. I just paid him [Michael Jordan] 10 grand and left. I felt this big [showing a pinch of his finger]. He’s pumping rap tunes the whole time that say his name in the song. I am like ‘What planet am I on right now?'”
Jordan can put anyone in an existential crisis with his need to win and confidence to trash-talk. It doesn’t matter how high up the food chain the opponent is, if they have gotten into a competitive match with Jordan, they best be ready to get belittled. Whether it’s basketball, golf, baseball, or a backroom card game, Jordan is here to win and he will take their money when it’s all said and done.
That said, it is hard not to feel for Ryan Whitney. From the looks of it, he was just in it for a fun game with a little bit of money on it. What he got instead was an acid-spouting maniac who can never relax. It is no wonder he opted to leave.
Michael Jordan is unafraid to trash-talk any opponent
As mentioned above, Jordan is not afraid to take on anyone, which includes the 44th President of the United States – Barack Obama. In an interview dated 2014, the NBA’s Hall of Fame player trash-talked the President and said, “I never played with Obama, but I would. But naw, that’s okay, I take him out, he’s a hack. It’d be all day playing with him.” When the shocked reporter asked him if it was the right thing to say about the United States President, Jordan said, “Don’t worry about it. I never said he wasn’t a great politician, I just said he was a sh**ty golfer.”
Jordan was just built differently. He never backed down from smoke and in fact, was looking for it to get his juices flowing. Charles Barkley narrated a story in ‘The Steam Room’ podcast to Ernie Johnson and said, “This is when I knew Michael Jordan was crazy. Me, him, Chuck Daly, and David Robinson go play golf. We’re playing Puerto Rico that afternoon…then we get to the game. Michael looked up and said ‘I got the point guard. ‘He said some sh** about me in the newspaper’ and I’m gonna get him.’ And we’re looking around like ‘uh oh’ this little kid is in trouble. It’s just amazing how he played 36 holes of golf and he’s guarding this dude like it’s Game 7. And he’s talking ‘Don’t you ever say my damn name again.'”
These are just some of the few stories about Michael Jordan that showcase how determined he was to prove himself as the most superior being. Plenty more stories like the above make you wonder about the great man and give you an idea of how he reached the pinnacle of his sport. With such will and a ruthless attitude towards winning, it’s no surprise that he has achieved so much in life.
