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“Michael Jordan really did a casual free throw line dunk in jeans”: When the GOAT flaunted his brilliance with the ball in casual clothes

Akash Murty
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"Michael Jordan really did a casual free throw line dunk in jeans": When the GOAT flaunted his brilliance with the ball in casual clothes

Michael Jordan went to judge a Slam Dunk Contest in Columbia but ended up showing off his own skills in the event with Jo Jo English.

Though Michael Jordan’s dunks aren’t as famous as Dr. J’s or Vice Carter’s, he had some high-flying breathtaking dunks which are frozen in history books of the NBA as few of the best ever.

Since coming into the league in 1984, the future Chicago Bulls legend started a rivalry with Dominique Wilkins who was also a tremendous leaper. Both of them participated in multiple dunk contests in the 80s and came up with 2 titles each.

In a Nike exhibition match in Italy in 1985, Jordan dunked the ball so hard that it shattered the glass backboard. Nobody had seen something of that nature until Shaquille O’Neal came into the league later, but Mike with that lean frame doing it had everyone in disbelief.

There was another high-flying instance that left people in shock of what MJ couldn’t do when he sets his eyes on it.

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Michael Jordan dunked from the free-throw line wearing jeans

There are questions and jokes about that dunk, like, whether the Italians make their backboards so strong to withstand the strength of much more skilled and athletic NBA players. But there’s another dunk which was as rare as any other dunk in the game, ever. And as tremendous as it is, it has less doubters.

According to reports, Jordan was at a Slam Dunk Contest in Columbia in 1988 to judge a youth basketball exhibit by George Glymph. Director Glymph convinced Jordan to against Jo Jo English in a dunking contest in the end.

The Bulls star wasn’t suited up for the call, so he borrowed shoes from another student and ended up playing in pants/track pants that look like blue jeans.

Again, even if they weren’t really jeans, Jordan making those dunks without warm-ups or proper gears shows us he could do it whatever he wants to, whenever he wants to and there’s no stopping him.

Also read: “LeBron James has exactly one and-1 per game over the regular and post season”: An absurd stat explains how the Lakers superstar has registered one and-1 in every game of his career

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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