Michael Jordan ‘Hit’ NBA Veteran, Weeks After ‘Embarrassing’ Encounter Left Him Restless

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls could have been 73-9, just like the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, but a former Miami Heat point guard did not allow that. The 1995-96 season of the Bulls is one of the best in history. However, MJ and Co. ended with a 72-10 because of a few embarrassing losses, and one was against Rex Chapman and the Miami Heat. Wouldn’t it be historic to be one of the 10 teams that defeated the 96 Bulls? Chapman takes pride in it. However, he paid the price in the matchups later. Well, it’s Michael Jordan!

In February 1996, Chapman was an unstoppable force against the Bulls. The former NBA veteran dropped 39 points, with 9 3s and a 70% field goal, which gave the Heat a 9-point win against Michael Jordan. Chapman shared in an interview, “I got going and there was nothing that them [Bulls] or anyone else could have done…It was a great win for us”. Anyhow, in their very next match-up, Jordan decided to get his revenge by getting physical. It started with an elbow. 

Chapman continued, “We went out for the jump ball…the referee threw the ball up and Michael elbowed me. He elbowed me right in the sternum…intentionally“. Well, it did not stop there. The 6x champion also dropped 40 points leading to an embarrassing loss for the Heat. Chapman was confident that MJ had planned this out.

He added, “He’d been thinking about that game for two weeks and thought I had embarrassed him…which yeah, probably did”. Many believe that Chapman had some words to say to MJ during his 39-point performance against the Bulls. Many believed he was trash-talking, but Chapman did not. 

Chapman denies that he trash-talked Michael Jordan on his 9-point win against the Bulls 

Anyone would fear to talk trash to his Airness. Chapman did too. However, he was having normal conversations with MJ, which led fans to assume that he was talking trash. The 56-year-old clarified, “There was no anything really said worth anything. I think I said something like, ‘You know I can’t just let you dunk it.’ But it looked like we’re jawing at each other. Yeah, so everybody’s like, ‘You were talking so much noise to Jordan’.” 

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Although Chapman clarified, it was a bit too late. MJ had already completed his revenge. The 5x MVP did not stop with a 40-point game. The Bulls later met the Miami Heat in the 1996 playoffs, and Jordan made sure he swept Chapman and Co. 3-0. The Bulls icon scored 90 points in 3 games and proved why he is among the best of the best. Well, Chapman had his time. Sadly, it was only for one game. 

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