For well over two decades, Bill Simmons has covered the NBA for giant media companies like ESPN and HBO before establishing his own website, The Ringer, in 2016. During his time on the sidelines, Simmons noticed that Michael Jordan’s interactions with referees weren’t like other players’.
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Speaking to Ryen Russillo on his podcast, the veteran journalist remarked on the fanfare surrounding Jordan during his prime. According to Simmons, MJ was so beloved that referees didn’t even attempt to hide their favoritism towards him.
“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,” the 55-year-old said.
Simmons added that this actually furthered Jordan’s case as the greatest of all time. He attributed the referees’ behavior to Jordan’s unparalleled popularity and magnetism, recalling just how easily Mike could command an arena full of fans, professionals and competitors.
“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.
Perhaps no example encapsulates this phenomenon better than Jordan’s hilarious interaction with a referee during his stint in Washington.
The official seemingly missed some contact against MJ but after the six-time NBA champion argued his case, the referee 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.”
Certainly not something you hear in today’s league. And even back then, it was unprecedented for a player to receive such treatment from the officials.
Competitors like Charles Barkley have expressed frustration at this favoritism through the years. “That is a foul. I know he’s Michael Jordan,” the 1993 NBA MVP argued with officials during one of their matchups. He had clearly picked up on the referee’s intimidation.
“Every time he raise his voice at y’all, y’all give him calls,” Barkley added. Mike’s hold over the officials was typified by the fact that he was ejected only once throughout his NBA career. That’s over 1,000 games without any inflammation from the officials.
Today, stars, superstars and role players alike are all at the mercy of referees and their temperament. Just like players not named Michael Jordan were back in the day.
