Michael Jordan‘s mere presence is a big thing for most people, even for legendary hoopers like Allen Iverson. In a recent episode of the Knuckleheads Podcast, former NBA stars Allen Iverson, Darius Miles, and Quentin Richardson sat together to discuss some Jordan stories that they still cherish. Meanwhile, Q brought up his first time playing against MJ at his Santa Barbara Camps.
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After hearing Iverson’s experience of playing against Jordan, Richardson shared his story of facing His Airness way back in the day when he was just a teenager. Q-Rich and Darius Miles got the opportunity to attend this camp alongside some of the country’s top college and high school prospects in 2000.
Obviously, Richardson felt a certain level of nervousness at the camp. Being in the presence of arguably the greatest basketball player ever can certainly be overwhelming. Nevertheless, Q-Rich was determined to put on a show at the camp, even if it meant going head-to-head against MJ.
Speaking about this experience, the 13-year NBA veteran said,
“When we was on the court, I was like, ‘I gotta f**king do something against him [Michael Jordan], I gotta do something.’ Like you [Darius Miles] remember how I used to go with Mike. When we weren’t on his team, I used to try and kill Mike.”
Whenever Richardson used to score against Jordan, he deemed it as a great accomplishment for himself. He even admitted that he used to call and tell everybody about his feat. As Allen Iverson best described, this was an “I have arrived” moment for Q-Rich before starting his professional career.
Sure enough, Richardson’s skills at the camp did not go unnoticed. Jordan used this opportunity to sign both Q-Rich and Miles as two of the Jordan Brand’s first athletes in the NBA. Q’s early interactions with MJ laid the foundation for a great relationship between the two, which they have still retained.
But that relationship started much earlier, when Richardson was just a kid.
Quentin Richardson could not fathom meeting his idol Michael Jordan
In an interview with ‘The Ringer,’ Richardson once explained how he grew up a block away from where his ex-wife’s family stayed. MJ had a court in that neighborhood, where he would occasionally turn up to hoop with the kids.
Quentin went on to describe how the kids in the neighborhood once went bonkers seeing Jordan at their crib. MJ wanted to meet Richardson personally back then. Richardson said, “One of the little kids then said, ‘Hey Q, MJ wants to see you. He is in the next block.'”
Quentin and his friend could not fathom what they had just heard. However, they still decided to take a shot at meeting MJ. When they arrived at the scene, Q-Rich was flabbergasted when Jordan called him out personally.
“So, I am walking over. I am looking, and I am like, ‘Oh!’ Man, turn around and hit me with the ‘What’s up, Q?’ I down there died right there,” Richardson added, describing the moment he got to meet his idol.
To this day, Q-Rich reminisces this memory with great joy and pleasure. Surely, all of such stories from NBA veterans further highlight the level of influence Michael Jordan commanded over an entire generation, who were inspired to choose a career in professional basketball just to ‘Be Like Mike.’
