George Karl Defends his Strategy Behind Ignoring Michael Jordan During 1996 NBA Finals

Michael Jordan put the Chicago Bulls on the top of the ladder in his time with the team. The Bulls seemed unstoppable when their 6-foot-6 guard played for them. ‘The Last Dance’ even offers fans a deep insight on how MJ went about with his attitude on the court. 

While many of us know about Jordan’s desire to win at any cost, the 10-part docuseries educates people on the methods he practiced, and why opponents held him in such high regard. In a recent episode, MJ reveals an incident that fueled him to go out and crush the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals.

So before the series started, MJ and his friend Ahmad Rashad were out having dinner at a fancy restaurant. The pair then spot Sonics coach George Karl dining at the same place. MJ patiently waited for Karl to finish up his meal and hoped he would come over and talk a word or two. But to his surprise, Karl just walked straight past Jordan, giving him the cold shoulder. 

“He walks right past me,” Jordan expressed in the documentary. “And I look at Ahmad and I said, ‘Really? Oh so that’s how you’re gonna play it?’” As soon as Karl did what he did, Rashad knew things were going to boil up inside MJ. He knew it was going to get personal. 

George Karl reveals the reason behind snubbing Michael Jordan at dinner

Following the release of the episode, fans started hyping up MJ for annihilating the Sonics and George Karl for his behavior. The latter even appeared on ESPN’s Sportscenter to explain a part of the reason why he avoided Michael Jordan. Though they both go way back in terms of getting to know each other, Karl was strict with the decisions he had taken in mind. 

The 68-year-old recently posted a tweet to further clarify the true cause for his snub on Jordan at the restaurant. “I told my team to avoid Michael during the 96 Finals. We reasoned he would find a way to exploit communication as motivation. I ignored Michael at dinner to honor the directive,” he wrote.

Though Karl never diverted from his plan, little did he know that this fired MJ up. The very reason why he chose to ignore him, caused an insult in the mind of the GOAT and made him pay for it. Karl claims ‘The Last Dance’ used this as a false case to show that it fueled Michael Jordan.

However, ‘His Airness’ has admitted the dinner incident as a major factor that pushed him to teach the entire Sonics team a lesson. You don’t mess with the main Bull and just get away with it. That is exactly what George Karl learned after conceding the title to MJ.