?My Sneaker?s for All-Stars?: After Michael Jordan Ripped Apart Wizards Teammate, the NBA Legend Earned His Respect Beating the Lakers Dynasty

Michael Jordan is a pioneer in the world of sports and won everything there is in the NBA. So it is not easy to impress the legendary superstar. During his team in the league, the 6x NBA champion was feared by his opponents. Whenever someone ran their mouth, MJ did not hesitate to give back with his quick wits. This included his teammates as well. During his stint with the Washington Wizards, Jordan ripped apart one of his teammates. However, the future 3x All-Star earned MJ’s respect a few years later.

MJ’s time in Washington wasn’t the most fruitful, but it gave birth to some of His Airness‘ best stories.

Michael Jordan kept it real

Michael Jordan is not the easiest teammate to be around. In The Last Dance docuseries, Jordan opened up about his reputation as a teammate. All MJ wanted was to win, and he was ready to push himself and his teammates to the limit to win it all. The 5x NBA MVP was 38 when he joined the Wizards coming back from his second retirement. Understandably, Jordan was not at his best.

However, he was still putting up mind-boggling numbers for his age. Furthermore, he was pushing and leading the young team the Wizards had. One of the young stars of the team was Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton. He came up big in his sophomore season and averaged 20 points per game in his third. Hamilton was brimming with confidence and jokingly approached Jordan to endorse the Air Jordan brand.

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However, the response from MJ was not what the young star expected. According to a report from The Sun, Hamilton said, “And he’d look at me and say, ‘Hey, Rip ? my sneaker’s for All-Stars.'”

However, Hamilton did not allow Jordan’s words to discourage him. Instead, it arguably helped him get better. After his third season, the former shooting guard left the Wizards and joined the Detroit Pistons in 2002.

Rip Hamilton earned Michael Jordan’s respect and the deal

Rip Hamilton then helped the Pistons win the title, beating the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers team who were looking to win their fourth title in 2004. Furthermore, he made the All-Star team thrice.

After this, Hamilton approached Michael Jordan once again. He recounted, “After I made the All-Star team I said, ?Hey, M, now I?m an All-Star, now you?ve got to put me in that sneaker and now you?ve got to pay me the big bucks.” Eventually, Hamilton signed with the Jordan brand and had many player-exclusive sneakers released with his nickname “RIP” on them.

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