Richard Jefferson was one of the numerous personalities from the basketball world who was present in Indiana for the All-Star Weekend. On Friday, Jefferson was asked about his opinions on a hypothetical one-on-one battle with Michael Jordan. The former 17-year NBA veteran showed no hesitation when claiming that he’d emerge victorious in a head-to-head contest with the GOAT.
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In the prime of their careers, there is no doubt that Michael Jordan would’ve been the winner of this hypothetical matchup. Even RJ admitted that a 40-year-old MJ cooked his 20-something-year-old self. However, the interviewer from The Score was pretty clear that this battle was to happen “right now”.
Currently, Jordan is 61 years old. Hence, Jefferson believed that he had an unfair advantage over the Chicago Bulls legend. “I’d cook his a**. Look, this is no disrespect to MJ… But, body starts catching up when you’re old,” the 43-year-old said.
The 2016 NBA Champion even predicted the score line of the contest, keeping it to a respectable 11-7. By stating that the 61-year-old would score 7 points, RJ did give a lot of respect to his opponent, who is infamous for taking things personally. But Jefferson’s answer seems to be justifiable as it’s been about six years since his retirement. On the other hand, MJ hasn’t played pro-ball since the early 2000s.
Meanwhile, Metta World Peace’s answer on the same was slightly different from Richard Jefferson’s. Unlike the latter, MWP believed that Jordan would be lethal enough at the age of 61 to get in his opponent’s “area” and defeat them.
The Score has been asking a lot of players whether they could take on Michael Jordan right now. Almost everyone’s answers have been in the affirmative.
Michael Jordan did “whoop” Richard Jefferson
While answering the reporter, Richard Jefferson did mention how Michael Jordan “whooped” him as a youngster. Jefferson wasn’t exaggerating when he made this statement.
The two players went head-to-head seven times, all of them in Jordan’s final two seasons. Even though Jefferson won five of those contests, MJ averaged more points (22.1-15.7), rebounds (5.6-4.7), assists (4-2.3), and steals (2.1-1.4).
On 31st December 2001, in their first meeting itself, the six-time NBA Champion asserted his dominance. With Jefferson guarding him, the Washington Wizards star erupted for a near triple-double 45-point, 10-rebound, and 7-assist performance.
After suffering five straight losses against Jefferson’s team, Jordan exploded for a 43-point, 10-rebound double-double performance in their final meeting.
Richard Jefferson wasn’t the only opponent who Michael Jordan humiliated. During his final two seasons, nearing the age of 40, he averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. At the time, even several All-Stars couldn’t manage to put up such numbers.
