Michael Jordan was an absolute legend in trash-talking, which made nobody dare to speak against him. Gary Payton recalled how he learned this lesson in the harshest way possible for the mistake of trash-talking MJ during his rookie pre-season in 1990. Although Jordan was regarded as a blossoming player then, he wasn’t considered a legend. The second pick of the 1990 draft had the mentality of not caring about Michael Jordan and the fire to establish himself early in the league.
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Payton dropped 19 points for the Seattle SuperSonics while Jordan was on the bench for most of that pre-season game. While doing so, he made sure to run by the bench and trash-talk MJ while giving his opponents a staredown. However, when facing Jordan in the following regular season, Payton recalled how MJ refused to shake hands with him and exclaimed aloud, “Leave the rookie to me.”
Within a matter of minutes, Payton knew he had invited trouble upon himself. The then SuperSonics coach K.C. Jones benched Payton, who finished the night with no points while getting only seven minutes on the floor. MJ, on the other hand, ended up scoring 33 points against the SuperSonics that fateful night. After the game, Jordan approached Payton and said, “That (expletive) you talking in preseason? This is the real (expletive) right here. Welcome to the NBA, little fella.”
Payton’s decision to talk smack to Michael Jordan certainly was a bold strategy, even if he didn’t know Michael Jordan’s reputation. That said, that’s just how Payton competed, and even bested some of the greatest offensive players ever with his defense, Unfortunately for him, this time around, he was dealing with the greatest player of all time.
In a 2018 interview with Origin Sports, the 9-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year revealed he felt no regret in trash-talking against Jordan or other legends such as Utah Jazz’s John Stockton. In fact, it was Payton’s father who had imbibed the spirit of never backing down to adversities, which made him one of the ruthless players on the court against opponents.
Another iconic example of Payton trash-talking Jordan was during the 1996 NBA Finals series. Many fans from the yester years could recall how Payton used to do everything in his perusal to stop Jordan. However, His Airness’s offensive prowess was too much for the Sonics to handle. Payton took this upon himself as a challenge, knowing very well that nobody could stop MJ.
Consequently, the Bulls defeated the Sonics 4-2 in the series, with Michael Jordan being named the Finals MVP. Though it was impossible to stop Jordan during that era, Payton is happy with fans recognizing how he would put his umpteen efforts into doing his best on the court. In fact, Payton and Jordan’s trash-talking saga added a high entertainment value for viewers, which many ’90s fans still fondly reminisce about to this day.
Michael Jordan would laugh at GP talking about trash-talking him on ‘The Last Dance’
Gary Payton knew very well how to get under Michael Jordan’s skin during his playing days. Though Jordan was known for mentally dominating his opponents, Gary Payton was one of those tough fellas who never seemed to back down.
The 1996 Finals would be the best example to prove this case, as Payton tried his best in trash-talking the 5x NBA MVP on the court. When Jordan watched one of Payton’s interviews recalling those days, he would laugh at GP, reminiscing those days quite fondly on ‘The Last Dance’ documentary.
It wasn’t as such that GP felt insulted or humiliated, with Jordan laughing at him while he described his experience. In fact, the 2006 NBA champion expected a star of Michael Jordan’s stature to have such a reaction, as nobody at that time could ever stop Jordan from being the best that he was out there.
Surely, this story gives us a glimpse at Michael Jordan’s merciless and competitive approach to basketball. Whether a rookie or an established veteran, Jordan knew no mercy when his only focus was to win and annihilate his opponents on the court with his prowess.
