Bill Simmons covered the NBA for media giants like ESPN and HBO for over two decades before establishing his website, The Ringer, in 2016. During his time covering the game from the sidelines, Simmons had noticed that Michael Jordan’s interactions with referees weren’t like the other players.
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Speaking to Ryen Russillo on his podcast, the veteran journalist described the fanfare Jordan commanded in his prime. According to Simmons, MJ was so beloved that even referees didn’t attempt to hide or mask their favoritism.
Mike’s hold over the officials is probably best exemplified by the crazy stat line that he was ejected only once throughout his NBA career. That’s over 1,000 games without any escalation from the officials. Simmons recalled just how easily Mike, with his magnetism, could command an arena full of fans, competitors, and supposedly neutral professionals officiating the game.
“The way the refs were just in his pocket. And I’m not talking about him getting calls, I’m talking about, like, they’re in the dead spots when people are shooting free throws before the game. These guys treated him like, you know, it was like Beyonce walking on stage,” described Simmons.
The journalist added that the sway Jordan had in the league and everything surrounding the game furthers his case as the greatest of all time.
“He had every call he wanted. If he was upset at a call, he could say whatever he wanted. If he was yelling at a ref, the ref was like, kind of bummed out. It’s like, ‘Michael Jordan doesn’t like how I’m reffing today?’ And you could actually see them, they’d just kind of lose it,” Simmons added.
No instance perhaps encapsulates this better than MJ’s hilarious interaction with a referee during his stint in Washington.
The official missed some contact against Jordan. But after the six-time NBA champion argued his case, the ref was quick to turn. He called the foul before running to Mike and saying, “Michael, I didn’t see two hands on you, Michael. But I believe you.”
This is certainly not something you would hear in today’s league. It was definitely unprecedented for a player to receive such treatment from the officials back then too. That’s Jordan for you.
Competitors like Charles Barkley have expressed frustration at this favoritism on many occasions. “That is a foul. I know he’s Michael Jordan,” the 1993 NBA MVP had argued with officials during one of their matchups.
Barkley had picked up on the referee being intimidated. “Every time he raises his voice at y’all, y’all give him calls,” he added.
Today, stars, superstars, and role players alike are all at the mercy of referees and their temperament. Well, that was the norm back then too, barring, as Simmons put it, a player named Michael Jordan.
