There are few who have challenged the 6x champion and even fewer who get to shine against him. An NFL wide receiver belonged to the former, making massive claims of being able to defeat Michael Jordan. There was a little betting, some trash talk, and another challenge. But before all of it, there is an anecdote the same Terell Owens holds close to his heart, that’ll let you know he is an MJ fan first and his challenger later.

During his appearance in a conversation with Complex, former NFL player, Terell Owens recalled his first meeting with Jordan. It was at an All-Star event in Atlanta. “I went through the back entrance and went up the stairs and I went into an area vip… I found out where he was, went toward his direction,” Owens recalled. 

“I introduced myself and he was like, ‘I know who you are’. So that in itself, like I said, I was really kind of over the moon to be quite honest, especially for me. A small kid, coming out of a small town, Alexander city, Alabama. Obviously, like I said, to meet somebody that (I) had seen on TV, that personified like greatness. Obviously, at that time it still is like I said it’s a memory that I’ll never forget,” the 5x First-team All-Pro concluded.

Whether it was the famous trash-talking or just Owens’ impressive skills, Jordan knew the NFL star, and that was a huge fan moment for him. Or perhaps it was because Owens also played basketball. Back in college, the former wide receiver played both sports and ultimately chose the one he was best at.

However, long after his retirement, the former Cincinnati Bengals player would go on to claim that he could play in the NBA as well. He even went as far as to challenge the Chicago Bulls legend to a one-on-one game. 

In a clip for HangWith, he called the 51-year-old Jordan an old man and said, “I know he’s 50-something years old. He used to be M.J., but he would be crossed-up M.J. if he comes messin’ with me right now.”

He often boldly claimed that he was similar to Jordan because he had the same confidence as the Bulls legend. And a fan mistaking him for Jordan at an overseas airport once for his “Tall, black, and bold,”  likely boosted his confidence. During his 16- year career, he caught 1,078 passes for 15,934 yards which saw him get 6 Pro Bowl selections. But if there is one thing that is surely common about the two legends of different crafts, it is their intense trash talking ability. So, how did MJ react to Owens’ challenge?

Terell Owens couldn’t keep up with Michael Jordan’s trash talking 

Remember, there are only a few who could beat him at the game of basketball. And as for his response to the challenge that Owens gave him? He did, but in his own way. Former quarterback and Jordan Brand athlete Derek Anderson witnessed the entire exchange.

Recalling the incident on The Truth Podcast, the former NFL player shared that MJ set one condition for Owens to even have the opportunity to play against him. “Terrell Owens told him ‘Man, I think I can make it to the league.’ And MJ said, ‘You can’t play for the Clippers. You’re terrible.’ So they started betting and trash-talking. And Terrell said, ‘Well, let’s go play one-on-one.’ And MJ said, ‘If you can beat my son, you can play me one-on-one. He never played his son, ” Anderson said.

The Chicago Bulls legend was talking about his two sons, Jeffrey and Marcus. Like their father, both played basketball at UCF. While Jeffery averaged 1.6 points across 107 total games, Marcus averaged 12.3 points per game across 94 games. After college, both went on to pursue different passions. But well, since Owens never played against the two, there was no way he got to have a one-on-one with Jordan!