Michael Jordan is universally known as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the sport. That is after everyone witnessed his domination in the NBA. But before that, a young Jordan was a terror in college. One of his fiercest rivals from his college days to the NBA, Dominique Wilkins recently recalled a situation which made him sit up and take notice.
The Hall of Famer was a guest on the latest episode of the podcast, All The Smoke. When asked to talk about a particular battle between him and Jordan, Wilkins replied:
When you played against Mike, his eyes were bloodshot red every game. Like he was possessed. We were playing Carolina and the first time James Worthy, and I had a chance to play against one another. That Carolina game we played, we going back and forth. The last two minutes of the game, a young kid named Michael Jordan took over, by himself. If you haven’t played against Mike, you have no clue.
Dominique Wilkins said
Dominique Wikins revealed that he knew Jordan would be a great pro. But he never expected Jordan to end up becoming the GOAT of the NBA.
That recollection says something about the Chicago Bulls great, as Wilkins and James Worthy were superstar players in their own right in college. For Michael Jordan to take over in the fourth quarter despite the presence of them, says it all.
Wilkins suggested that one has to play against Michael Jordan to know his competitive nature. Else one would not know the fire with which he played. That fire could be the reason the 6-time NBA Champion played with bloodshot eyes.
Dominique Wilkins recalls Michael Jordan trash talk before epic battle
A little while before talking about Jordan and their NCAA matchup, Dominique Wilkins recalled another great battle that took place between them. He narrated the story.
I think I scored 57 in Atlanta. And we went back to Chicago a little while later. We in the locker room, suit and tie, MJ walks in our locker room, suit and tie, I was like ‘What’s he coming in here for?’ He walks by me, walks by Kevin Willis, gets to Randy Wittman, taps him in the a** and said, ‘Lace ’em up, it’s going to be a long night.’ He had 60 that night.
Dominique Wilkins said
The game Wilkins was referring to was the one when he and the Atlanta Hawks visited Chicago on April 16th, 1987. Michael Jordan, as a response to his rival scoring 57 in his arena, dropped 61 points.
That battle was the most significant in their long time rivalry. Their matchups contributed to the growth of the NBA in ways that never happened before. The popularity this matchup brought has its imprints to this day, even when players are earning $300 million contracts.
But as Wilkins said, Jordan was in a league of his own. Maybe he had something to do with the fact that Dominique Wilkins never won an NBA title while on the Atlanta Hawks. The thorn on his side was no. 23 from Chicago.
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