Michael Jordan is often regarded as a tyrannical player who played selfishly and rode on players’ work ethics during practice. BJ Armstrong was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1989 and he would experience this firsthand prior to the triangle offense fully being incorporated by Phil Jackson and Tex Winter. Getting drafted by the Bulls meant playing alongside the greatest offensive player of his time and while BJ understood this, many believed he didn’t. Isiah Thomas of all people, in 1989, had to let Armstrong know what it was going to be like according to Sam Smith’s ‘Jordan Rules’.
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Isiah and MJ have butted heads with one another for decades on end. Whether it was the Detroit Pistons’ physicality that angered Jordan or the fact that Thomas and the Pistons didn’t shake the Bulls’ hands after getting swept in the 1991 ECF, the two aren’t on cordial terms in the slightest. Even in 1989, Jordan had it out for IT because he believed Thomas orchestrated the 1985 ASG freeze-out, something that has been vehemently denied by many.
Isiah Thomas warned BJ Armstrong about playing with Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan didn’t have the best reputation when it came to meshing well with point guards. MJ often brought the ball up the court past half-court and looked to score on every opportunity he had with the ball. PGs are usually the ones looking to orchestrate the offense and BJ Armstrong was warned about Jordan’s ball dominant tendencies.
In ‘Jordan Rules’, Sam Smith wrote:
“Friends had warned Armstrong about coming to the Bulls. Isiah Thomas, whom Armstrong had admired since he was in high school, had tried to tell him gently that playing with Jordan would not be as easy as it seemed.”
“His first season was tough, Armstrong admitted. He’d never played for a team where he was waved off by the scoring guard. Every time he’d get the ball, Jordan would be yelling for it and demanding he get out of the way.”
After averaging less than 6 points per game in his first season, BJ eventually did find a groove in the coming seasons. His best season was coincidentally in 1993-94, the year Jordan retired, but even in 1992-93, Armstrong had found himself a solid role on a championship team as the starting point guard.
MJ and BJ would maintain a solid relationship after retirement as they buried the hatchet on their differences from the late 80s-early 90s.
Michael Jordan called BJ Armstrong ‘fat’ over video call
Jordan’s trash talk isn’t just on the court as he’s just as prolific with it off the court as well. Tate Frazier recalled to ‘The Ringer’ that on one instance, Jordan video called Frazier and BJ Armstrong. This was well into their retirements and despite this, Michael went off on Armstrong, according to Tate.
“One time I was with BJ Armstrong and Michael Jordan Facetimed him, and [he] was basically like calling him fat and just being like ‘you need to get in the gym motherf**ker, I’ll come f**k you up right now.”
After having a solid career like the one BJ Armstrong had, it’s understandable as to why he might’ve let himself go after having been retired and rightfully so. This is simply one of the many examples of how aggressive Michael Jordan can be at times.
