Michael Jordan wasn’t cut from the same cloth as his contemporaries. His mental toughness and the hunger to achieve greatness set him apart. No one could intimidate ‘His Airness’?as he vanquished his opponents with his cut-throat offensive skill set.

One man who knows a thing or two about being tough is Mike Tyson. The legendary boxer, who was sitting next to Jordan’s former sidekick, Dennis Rodman, lavished praises on the Bulls legend. He lauded Jordan for his toughness in his matchups against the Detroit ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons and for refusing to get intimidated by them.

Mike Tyson was joined by Dennis Rodman on his podcast ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’. There, the former boxer talked about the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons and how they forced the NBA to alter the rules of the game. Tyson indicated how so the opponents found their physical approach to the game intimidating. However, it was Jordan who never backtracked from giving that team a battle.

“That’s why I respect Michael Jordan,” Mike Tyson said. “Y’all beat that Mf**s a** and he came back…you couldn’t do nothing,” he added. “Michael’s a mean, tough m**herfu**er. He takes it and give it,” Tyson concluded.

That Pistons team terrorized opponents. However, it was Jordan and the Bulls who brought the ‘Bad Boys’ era to a stop. Following two straight eliminations by the hands of the Pistons in 1989 and 1990, as well as seeing them lift back-to-back NBA titles, the Bulls launched a decade of dominance.

In the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the Pistons, effectively ending the ‘Bad Boys’ era. Following that, Michael Jordan and the Bulls were unstoppable, winning six championships in eight years.

Mike Tyson showered Jordan with praises. He did, however, almost fight the Bulls legend at a bar once.

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Mike Tyson almost fought with Michael Jordan

Mike Tyson and Michael Jordan are two of the biggest names in their respective sports. And interestingly, the two once almost fought each other at a bar.

Michael Jordan brought his talents into the NBA in 1984 and was rumored to be dating actress, Robin Givens. The same person tied knots with Mike Tyson a few years later. However, they got divorced shortly after. Obviously, Jordan didn’t have anything to do with it, but that didn’t stop Mike Tyson to get mad at the Bulls legend.

Tyson’s manager, Rory Holloway, claimed that tempers erupted during a dinner party shortly after the boxer’s divorce. Michael Jordan was among the celebrities in attendance. Tyson apparently got drunk and decided to let his emotions speak for him. He confronted Jordan and threw some harsh words at him, according to Holloway.

The good thing was that Jordan decided to defuse the situation as he left the dinner party. One could imagine how bad things would have looked if the two legendary sportsmen fought in public.

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However, that was years ago, and it’s nice to see Mike Tyson recognize Jordan’s toughness and show him respect.