The stories of Michael Jordan’s wagers are as infamous as his game-winning shots. ‘His Airness’ had a penchant for raising the stakes with miscellaneous bets but according to George Lynch, he didn’t always keep up his end of the deal.
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Lynch, like Jordan, won the NCAA championship with the North Carolina Tar Heels. He then declared for the 1993 NBA Draft, where he ended up with the Lakers as a lottery selection. However, his first real interaction with MJ would come during his college tenure.
During the Tar Heels’ training camp, Lynch was training with legends like Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith and of course, Michael Jordan. Theo Pinson, who was hosting Lynch on his podcast when he told the story, affirmed how unique UNC was due to its legendary alumni.
Their summer camps allowed North Carolina’s college prospects to face off against some of the most premier talent in the world and soak up their experience first-hand. “The rules were the pros make the rules; what the games go to, who gets to play first and all that,” Lynch revealed on ‘Run Your Race’.
In his patented competitive fashion, the Chicago Bulls legend used his advantage to create an underdog team. He would only select junior varsity players and walk-ons to raise the stakes at the summer training camps. “And we losing every game,” Lynch added.
“My sophomore year, we beat him once. So, the rule at Carolina was, if you beat the pros, they take you to dinner.”
For NCAA players with little to no money, a dinner at the expense of NBA stars would certainly be a rewarding experience. Lynch, for one, was excited to cash in after beating Jordan and his team, but the joy would be short-lived as one of his teammates made the mistake of trash-talking MJ.
King Rice, a former Tar Heels guard-turned-coach, began mouthing off at Mike. Naturally, #23 took that personally. “The next 7 games, we didn’t even get close to beating him,” Lynch recalled. “The lineup was me, Hubert Davis, Rick Fox, King Rice and Scott Williams. We couldn’t beat walk-ons and Mike.”
As impressed as George was by MJ’s sheer dominance, he still wanted his due. Unfortunately, it’s a due that remains uncleared 30 years later. Jordan allegedly told the winning team to meet him at a restaurant near UNC and by Lynch’s account, he never showed up.
“I still, when I see Mike today, I say, ‘Man, you still owe me dinner’,” the 1993 NCAA champion stated. It’s unlikely that Lynch will ever see that well-earned dinner but at least he still has the bragging rights from beating Jordan and his team of walk-ons as a sophomore in college.
