Revisited: "Hey man, if you don't turn in the Air Jordan, we're going to blow you out today" - Magic Johnson opens up to Jimmy Kimmel about incurring Michael Jordan's wrath after trash talking to him
Michael Jordan's wrath in the NBA during the 1990s spared no one on the court.
In addition to being the best player of that era, Jordan was an extremely feared personality, too. The vast majority of his peers knew better than to talk trash to him, but the few who didn't quickly found out the consequences of poking the bear.
Several NBA superstars from that era have detailed their tête-à-tête with Jordan. Reggie Miller once spoke about how talking trash to Jordan resulted in a 44-point barrage from him, with 40 points in the second-half.
Another such story came from Magic Johnson, in an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" in 2016. Johnson stated:
"I never talk trash but one time in my entire life with Jordan. First time ever talking trash. So, we're with the Dream team. ... Daley split the team up East vs. West.
"So this is the fourth day and we got out on them about 12-2 and I said I'm going to really rattle his chain so I went over there, tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'Hey man, if you don't turn in the Air Jordan, we're going to blow you out today.'"
Johnson further detailed what came after, the wrath of Michael Jordan:
"His eyes got big, usually that tongue come by right here. Now it's way out. They broke the huddle. He hit a 3 and he's looking at me. So he came down again, hit another 3."
Later, Kimmel stated one of the few maxims of the NBA:
"The moral is you should not talk trash to Michael Jordan." (via) Jimmy Kimmel Live
The animosity between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas led to Thomas' exclusion from the Dream Team
The Dream Team is often called the greatest team ever assembled in sports. The team boasted of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley, among others.
While the team included nearly every basketball great from the late 1980s and early 1990s, two notable exclusions from the team were those of Isiah Thomas and Shaquille O'Neal.
Stop lying this story is not factual or accurate, tell the truth man. Dr.J, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Sidney Moncrief and I did not freeze you out. If memory serves me correct I was injured most of the second half and Bird had a broken nose. Magic and Sampson dominated the game. twitter.com/theinquisitr/s…
While Christian Laettner was placed on the team over O'Neal because of his success in the NCAA Tournament, Thomas' exclusion was a direct result of Jordan's dislike of Thomas and the "Bad Boy" Pistons.
In the Netflix documentary "The Last Dance," Thomas' name isn't directly mentioned, however, Team USA selection committee member Rod Thorn responded with this when Jordan inquired about the team members:
"The guy you’re thinking about is not going to be playing."