LeBron James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Richard Jefferson is no stranger to making bold comments. Since the end of his NBA career, the 43-year-old has been stating his hot takes on different NBA shows. During one such appearance on ‘Road Trippin‘, RJ was asked to discuss Michael Jordan’s infamous 1998 ‘push-off’ shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Initially, Jefferson’s verdict seemed to be at the expense of the Chicago Bulls legend. However, the former NBA player changed his tune before long, potentially saving himself from a mob of angry fans.
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Jordan had a lot of iconic moments during his time in the NBA. However, perhaps. no other occasion is as iconic as his game-winner against Utah Jazz’s Byron Scott during the ‘Last Dance’. But the shot is just as well remembered for how controversial it was.
Many have claimed that Jordan pushed off Scott, which is fueled by the Bulls legend clearly putting his hand on the defender’s hip before snatching back. And while Richard Jefferson seemed to agree with that verdict, he ended his point with an opinion that would help MJ fans sleep better at night.
Richard Jefferson claims that Michael Jordan didn’t deserve a foul despite push-off
The NBA community has been split into two sides of the argument regarding Jordan’s move. One side believes that Michael Jordan definitely pushed off Scott and a foul should’ve been called against the Bulls superstar. And as one might expect, the other perspective is that the push-off was a negligible tap and not worthy of a foul.
However, Richard Jefferson recently made an entirely different argument, during his time on the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast. The following is what he had to say on the matter:
“The answer is yes, he[Jordan] pushed off! But, do you make that call? Not even talking about Michael Jordan. If that was Kobe [Bryant], if that was Bron [LeBron James], this is the NBA Finals! You don’t make that call. And [Byron] Russell was in such bad body position, that that snapback, he [the former Jazz man] is lucky that was in ’98. If a player were to hit him with a snapback right now, and then a go? Oh, Byron might still be on the floor!”
As mentioned previously, Jefferson often risks incurring the wrath of the NBA community. However, he may have pleased both sides of the fence on this occasion. After all, the move never seemed extreme enough to really be called in the NBA Finals.
Still, Jefferson is no veteran referee of the sport(even though he has officiated games before). So, what would someone with such experience have to say about the play?
Former NBA Referee, Ken Mauer explains why Michael Jordan’s shot was legal
Ken Mauer Jr. was an NBA official for a whopping 36 years, officiating from 1986 to 2022. So, perhaps there would be no one better suited to analyze the play.
As it turns out, Mauer agreed with the decision made that night, as seen in the YouTube clip below. He pointed out that the referee is usually fixated on the defender’s actions, so it’s unlikely that anyone calls that against an offensive player in a game.
While it may have been a controversial play at some point in time, there is no denying the support Michael Jordan has gotten over the years. Admittedly, if the verdict of a veteran referee isn’t enough to close the book on this, we’re unsure anything could be.
