“Just Young and Dumb”: Former NBA All-Star Regrets Copying the Signature Move of Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan was well known for his competitive spirit and that was a signature of his game. We could see his mentality and spirit with his exceptional moves on the offensive and defensive end of the court. Jordan mainly used his signature moves to outperform the opposition and break them mentally more than physically. Among his classic moves was sticking his tongue out while driving to the basket in-game.

When the former all-star Mark Jackson faced the Bulls in a game of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in 1989, he did the unthinkable. He copied Michael Jordan’s signature after completing a steal in the last minutes of Game 2. Well, that was a big mistake because Michael Jordan came back in Game 3 and dropped 40 points on the Knicks. Furthermore, the Knicks then went on to lose the series in 6 games.

To this date, Mark regrets doing that. He explained why he did that to Shannon Sharpe in his recent appearance on Sharpe’s weekly podcast ‘Club Shay Shay’.

Jackson explains why he regrets copying Michael Jordan

When asked why he copied Michael Jordan’s signature tactic, Jackson responded, “Just young and dumb. I had a moment”. Jackson stole the ball from Jordan in the final minutes of the game to mark the Knicks’ victory and surprised the entire NBA community with his performance.

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Further, he said, “But I thought we had every answer because we were rolling. So I stripped him and I was like Oh it is on! New York City, I stripped him. They fouled me on the break, and I go in the air, and I act like.. the play is dead but I stick my tongue out. Mistake, huge mistake. Because like he talked about in the documentary, he takes all of that and uses it as fuel. And he took advantage of that, used it as fuel, and took over the game.” 

Jackson regrets that he celebrated too early and now has to live with that unfortunate memory.

Back the the Bulls had not become a dynasty team, therefore, many believed this act was sheerly disrespectful.

And Jordan who was still one of the best players in the league came back and reminded the Knicks who he is. He averaged over 40 points in the rest of the series and sent the Knicks home. Indeed, this is one moment that reminds everyone how great Michael Jordan was.

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