“Jerry Stackhouse didn’t get a bucket”: When Michael Jordan locked up the former UNC star before he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers

Jerry Stackhouse will always remember the first time he went up against Michael Jordan at the University of North Carolina.

Stack was a star during his 2 years at Chapel Hill. He was declared as Sports Illustrated‘s National Player of the Year in 1995. Dean Smith’s tutelage allowed him to blossom into a player who many thought was the best UNC prospect since MJ.

One of his teammates at North Carolina was Ademola Okulaja. The Nigerian never made it to the NBA, but he made a career in Europe as a journeyman. Okulaja was recently on a college basketball podcast to talk about his career with the Tar Heels.

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When trash-talking Michael Jordan went wrong for Jerry Stackhouse

MJ and Stack jawed at each other when they met for the first time at a practice by the Tar Heels:

“It was summer time, and Stack came. We played full court and Stack was just destroying. Then Michael came in and he warned up and said ‘I go next.’”

“We kept playing and Michael went right at stack. I don’t think he scored for the rest of the night. That’s the first time you see real trash-talking, face-to-face. Before Michael walked in, he was Michael. He did everything, and we were like wow that’s a superstar. Until Mr. Superstar walked in. The first game he had 50, when Michael walked in, I don’t know if he had a basket.”

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Stackhouse may have come up short against Michael Jordan, but he was a star in his won right at one point. Stackhouse was named an All-Star for two years with the Pistons. He played in the league for 18 years, averaging nearly 17 points per game through the course of his career.