“I See This Black Bald Headed Dude”: DeMarcus Cousins Couldn’t Believe Michael Jordan Was At His HS Freshman Nike Event

Not every basketball player can say that they met someone who truly inspired them. Fortunately for DeMarcus Cousins, he was able to be in the minority of that category. The four-time All-Star shared a wild story about meeting Michael Jordan during a recent appearance on the Run Your Race program.

In b-ball, MJ will always be king. The influence he had over generations of future ballers because of his dominance on that famed Chicago Bulls team is still felt to this day. Any kid who actually got to be in the presence of His Airness would be flabbergasted. He truly is one of a kind.

So when Boogie accidentally met the six-time champion at a Nike Jamboree camp, it was a tale as unimaginable as any.  He explained to show host, former NBA star Theo Pinson, that he had no idea he was entering the camp as one of the top-ranked players in the country for his class.

“I knew nothing about rankings. I’m just hooping,” said Boogie to set the stage for where his mind was at. He then detailed walking into a gym at the camp, which was closed off by a giant dark blue tunnel.

“As I’m walking in I see this black bald headed dude. Black as sh**,” he said, which made Pinson laugh. “But the tunnel is so…it’s a dark blue tunnel, and I’m like, ‘I know that ain’t who I think it is.'”

Pinson then straight up asked whether or not it was MJ. “The first person I see walk in the gym is f***ing Michael Jordan, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. What is happening? Where am I?'” responded Cousins.

Cousins later revealed that he got to shake MJ’s hand, and that he even gave him a “good luck kid” as he prepared for camp. It must have been surreal to have had that moment with one of the all-time greatest athletes of all time. A man whom he not only idolized, but respected later as a player himself.

Cousins has been public with his love for MJ, especially in the GOAT debate against LeBron

One of basketball’s most recycled arguments is who is the better player between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. It’s a tiring conversation to have, especially when it happens on an hourly basis.

Cousins was never shy of supporting both icons. “For me, it’s Mike and Bron,” he said during an old podcast interview, where he later reiterated how the game is better because of The King and His Airness.

This wasn’t the only time he tried to halt people’s conversations. Back in 2020, the Last Dance documentary was released, showcasing Jordan and the Bulls of the 1990s. The series not only blew up and reignited MJ’s greatness in popular culture, but many started to once again start the conversation about how he is superior to LBJ.

Boogie wasn’t having any of that, though. He took to X (fka Twitter) in May of that year and told people to “just enjoy the documentary.”

And he’s right. Having the argument over two players, both of whom have made incredible contributions to the NBA, and placing them against each other despite playing in separate eras continues to be idiotic.

Every sports fan, analyst, and other players go through their subjective viewpoints. At the end of the day, Jordan was a winner, LeBron was a winner, and the ones arguing against either are the ones who have never been to the show.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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