“Do you want to know why?" - $620,000,000 worth Magic Johnson's 'Big Project' took off because of Michael Jordan's hatred of Isiah Thomas, back in 90s
The NBA might be a global commodity now, but in the 1980s and 1990s, the league was struggling to garner interest. Outside of a few star talents that included Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, the NBA struggled to get an audience. Viewers were tuning out and turning to other sports across America.
As such, Johnson floated the notion of a one-on-one pay-per-view game between himself and Jordan. However, it wasn't until Isiah Thomas - the player Jordan disliked the most - was against the idea that Jordan began to give it some serious thought.
However, Jordan's reasoning for considering the one-on-one game wasn't to help the league regain some viewers. Instead, it was to stick it to Isiah Thomas, who was seriously opposed to the notion.
According to Sam Smith, the author of Jordan Rules, Jordan's desire to see the game go ahead was because of Thomas' opposition to the idea. Jordan wanted to prove Thomas wrong while also showing him that he was the bigger draw among the league's fanbase.
“He wasn’t asked, and do you want to know why? It’s because if he were in it no one would be interested enough to watch,” Jordan told Smith.
Unfortunately, the pay-per-view spectacle never transpired, and fans didn't get to see two of their generation's greatest talents face off in what would have been a contest for the ages.
Michael Jordan remained dominant until he was 40
In a league where explosiveness and athleticism reign supreme, Michael Jordan continued to find ways to remain among the best players in the NBA. Long after Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas had begun to decline or called time on their careers, Jordan was still putting up buckets.
In a recent appearance on the 'All The Smoke' podcast, LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue discussed what it was like to see Jordan dominating at the age of 40, with his career coming to a close.
Ty Lue on playing with a 40-year-old Michael Jordan:
"I don't care he was 40. He averaged 20 points a game on one leg because his knee was messed up. And he played all 82 games. That just tells you who he is."
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"I didn't care if he was 90," Lue said. "It was a blessing. When he first called, because he was part of the front office when I heard his voice, I was like, 'are you serious? MJ is calling me?' When I first met him, I was in awe, man.
"Seeing black Jesus in person, I was in awe. I don't care about 40. He was 40, he averaged 20 points per game at the age of 40, on one leg, because his knee was messed up. He played 82 games at the age of 40. That just tells you who he is."
As a six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP, Jordan is viewed as the greatest basketball player of All-Time. Unfortunately, we will never know if his potential one-on-one with Johnson would have altered or elevated that legacy.