Michael Jordan once had the unenviable experience of suffering a cut from a samurai sword. This happened as an audience volunteer for a magician.
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We’ve often been told by parents and those who care for us that being part of an amateur magician’s show is never the prudent thing to do. This is because we have no clue how well trained the magician is. For all we know, any of a myriad things could go wrong and leave us scarred for life.
Somebody should have given this advice to Michael Jordan as a college freshman. For that’s what happened to him – a gash from a sword cut requiring three stitches.
Why Michael Jordan suffered a cut from a samurai sword
SB Nation recounts the tale of how MJ once turned up for prison festivities as part of a UNC program. Jordan was an invited guest at a traveling evangelical prison ministry show.
Jordan played some basketball with the prison inmates who were part of the show. But he was so excited to be part of a magic show that he couldn’t just sit as a member of the normal audience. He wanted to try something with a bigger daredevil-like persuasion.
And so it happened that Jordan became a volunteer for the magic act of Mike Cain. Cain wasn’t well-trained at cutting watermelons with samurai swords, but Jordan wasn’t to know that. MJ got the watermelon placed across his stomach and pronto, the show was on.
Cain failed to get his first strike right. His swing of the sword was too weak to penetrate the thick watermelon shell. This resulted in the fruit only being half-damaged. Undeterred, Cain set about going for another swing. This time, Cain went too powerfully, throwing caution to the wind.
The result was that Michael Jordan had a gash in his stomach and watermelon all over him. He had to be rushed to the doctor for stitches. All-in-all, not the experience you’re looking for from a magic show.
