Michael Jordan hasn’t played professionally for over two decades but his competitive spirit is still burning bright. The Bulls icon has always loved a challenge, so when Chris Paul dared him to make every shot or give away free shoes to a camp full of kids, he was up for it.
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The Flight School basketball camp is an annual event Jordan hosts. In 2016, Paul, a Jordan Brand athlete, was also present at the camp. The veteran guard challenged the Hall of Famer to a game of Around the World with the condition that if he missed, the kids would get free Jordans.
The exact details of the challenge are unclear. Some sources claim that Jordan would’ve had give away free shoes had he missed even one free throw attempt while a few reports suggest the six-time NBA champion was allowed three misses. Regardless, it didn’t matter.
The five-time NBA MVP successfully made all six attempts. Understandably, all the kids were excited and were rooting for him to miss. Unfortunately for them, Jordan was in no mood to err. After the Bulls icon drained the first five attempts, Paul put his hand in front of his eyes to block his vision. It didn’t matter, as Jordan still banked the shot.
When CP3 bet MJ the whole camp would get free Jordans if he missed a shot and he made every single one 😂
(via @coachspoon2) pic.twitter.com/yv0fcv1L6i
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 20, 2020
In an interview with Sage Steele in April 2020, Paul was asked about that iconic moment. He said,
“We were in Santa Barbara and he damn made them shots and then just said to hell with the kids, man. So forget him man. He wrong for that.”
The Spurs superstar said he should’ve known better than to challenge Jordan. What’s even more impressive about that moment is that in 2016, the six-time Finals MVP was 53 years old.
He retired from the league in 2003, so, it’s safe to assume that he wasn’t practicing regularly for almost 13 years. Despite that, he looked incredibly sharp while shooting the ball as his muscle memory took over.
