Most old-school fans still claim Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, and it would be tough to argue that. The Black Cat went a perfect 6-0 in the NBA Finals, setting all kinds of marks along the way.
Jordan constantly found a way to one-up every single one of his rivals. He made it a personal mission to always be the best player on the court, and that competitiveness often chased him outside of basketball as well.
As a matter of fact, some claim that Jordan was the most competitive athlete to ever live. That’s why Charles Barkley told an epic story of him during the 1992 Tournament of the Americas to explain just how ‘crazy’ competitive MJ was.
Michael Jordan Was Crazy Competitive, Claims Barkley
“It’s when I knew Michael Jordan was crazy,” Charles Barkley said on The Steam Room. “Michael is the most competitive person I’ve ever been around in my life. So, me, him, Chuck Daly, and David Robinson go play golf one morning. We’re playing Puerto Rico that afternoon.”
“So Chuck says, ‘Hey guys, we’ve played 18, so let’s go.’ Michael says, ‘I’m gonna play another 18.’ So I say, ‘Yo, we got a game tonight.’ And he says, ‘I’ll be good.’ So this how crazy Michael is. We get to the game, and he (the coach) is like, ‘David, you got this guy. Charles, you got this guy. Scottie, you got this guy. Michael, you got this guy.'”
“So Michael says, ‘No, I got the point guard.’ Michael’s kind of laying down. He looked up and said, ‘I said I got the point guard. He said some sh*t about me in the newspaper, and I’m gonna get it. And we looking around like, ‘Uh-oh, this little kid in trouble.'”
“But it’s just amazing he played 36 holes of golf and he’s guarding this dude like its Game 7,” Barkley said.“And he’s talking, ‘Don’t you ever say my damn name again.’ And I’m looking at Karl Malone like, ‘Yo man, there’s something wrong with this dude. That’s how competitive he was.”
So, yeah, that’s the kind of person Michael Jordan is. He’s always going to keep his receipts, and make you feel sorry for every little thing you said about him. I bet that PG never spoke ill of him again in his lifetime.