Days After Mark Cuban and Luka Doncic Face $750,000 Fine for Tanking, Resurfaced Michael Jordan Video Shows How Times Have Changed

NBA franchises tank to secure their first-round draft picks as the Dallas Mavericks recently did in their last game, against the Chicago Bulls – by purposely giving Luka Doncic fewer minutes and resting Kyrie Irving. As a result, the NBA slapped them with a fine of $750,000. This news coupled with a clip of Michael Jordan from his playing days that resurfaced on social media serves to display how the past differs from the present NBA era.

The resurfaced clip reveals Jordan giving his take on the practice of tanking. Many fans will understand from his words how the mentality of the six-time champion differs from that of players who take part in tanking now.

Michael Jordan weighed in on tanking during his Bulls days

A snippet from the 2020 docuseries The Last Dance was recently shared on Twitter. The video starts by showing when Jordan hurt his left calf in his second season with the Chicago Bulls and eventually went on to miss 64 games. It then reveals the 14x All-Star narrating that while recovering, he went back to his college in North Carolina to play pickup games despite medical professionals having advised him to rest.

Following this, a young MJ can be seen saying he was ready to return to the court. However, Jerry Reinsdorf, the manager of the Bulls, was reluctant to let him play as doctors told him there was a 10% chance of injuring his foot again and if that happened, then it would end his career.

The video further unveils young MJ getting asked, “Do you think is there something to this business of wanting a better position? Getting in the lottery?” The six-time champion replied, “I hope not. I mean that just shows the losing attitude, not just on the team but in the front office also. We should always go out and try to win.”

Jordan was finally able to play ball on the hardwood but for only seven minutes per half. Even though he played fewer minutes, he and the Bulls eventually started winning and made it into the playoffs.

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In the process of reaching the playoffs, they also eliminated the stigma of tanking. However, it was quite different for the Mavericks this season. They still had a chance to reach the play-in by winning their last game but instead, they rested their key players and focused on keeping their first-round draft picks.

Incidentally, this was not the only time when MJ disliked the notion of tanking.

Jordan condemned the notion of tanking even as an owner

MJ became the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets in 2006. In 2013, the Bulls legend revealed what he thinks about tanking while talking with Steve Reed of Associated Press. He said, “I don’t know if some teams have thought of that. That’s not something that we would do. I don’t believe in that.”

He added that tanking also didn’t guarantee a team that the player they are targeting will turn out to be a star. The 14x All-Star finished by saying, “I did read that certain teams are thinking about doing it. But I’m not one of them. So, let’s alleviate that conversation.”

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What are your thoughts on tanking? Do you think current teams such as the Mavs are different from the ’90s? Share your thoughts in the comments below!