via Getty
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 16: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the game against the New Jersey Nets on March 16, 1998 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1998 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
via Getty
CHICAGO, IL – MARCH 16: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls looks on during the game against the New Jersey Nets on March 16, 1998 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1998 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Several NBA veterans have put Michael Jordan’s competitive side on notice, and stories like these are never-ending. The 6x champion has battled with almost every star that has driven through Chicago. One such was 3x 6MOTY Jamal Crawford, but this story is quite different from what other NBA veterans have said over the years. Imagine beating a player of Jordan’s caliber, that too even before entering the NBA. That is exactly what Crawford did and here’s how.
Crawford did not get to play with Michael Jordan just by luck. It was only because the Chicago Bulls icon liked Crawford’s game. Crawford had one of the best handles in the NBA back then, and MJ wanted to see if he would be able to defend it. The 44-year-old shared in his podcast, “Tim Grover, who I know through the draft process, calls me at six in the morning…I got up so fast and I drove downtown. I was studying at Evanston. I get in the gym at hoops, and he[Jordan] is in the weight room.”
This was the first time Crawford met Jordan, but later he battled against him. The former LA Clippers star continued, “In between sets he’s coming to speak. He’s like, ‘Yeah man, I like your game man. This summer we can work out together’…Fast forward to the summer, the first time we played against each other, different teams. I think our team won and I saw how mad he was. Pissed off! And he went sat in a corner. He reacted as if he lost a game 7. Dude you’re almost 40 years old?“
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USA Today via Reuters
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Los Angeles Clippers at Phoenix Suns, Jan 4, 2019 Phoenix, AZ, USA Phoenix Suns guard Jamal Crawford 11 runs up the court in the game against the LA Clippers in the second half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports, 04.01.2019 20:48:54, 12016150, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Jamal Crawford, NBA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJenniferxStewartx 12016150
That’s how much winning meant to MJ. He would go to any extent to get the best of his opponents. And after getting to know how good Crawford was, Jordan decided to use betting to get the best of him.
Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford bet their cars in a shooting contest
Betting was another weapon that Jordan used in his favor. To get into his opponent’s mind, the 5x MVP would place high bets to increase the pressure. One of MJ’s scapegoats was Crawford, who lost his ride back home due to a silly bet. Jordan and Crawford would often have shooting contests. Initially, it was just $1000, then later it went to $5000, and then, the stakes kept rising from there on.
Crawford shared, “He asked which car I’d come into training, I replied ‘In a Mercedes’, he then said ‘I came in a Ferrari, shall we play for it?’.” Ferrari for a shooting contest sounded like an easy win for Crawford. However, Jordan went on to hit all five shots to take Crawford’s Mercedes home. See how Jordan used a huge bet to get into Crawford’s mind? So, the moral of the story is that you never mess with MJ!
