Michael Jordan was great at many things during his time in the NBA. Whether it was scoring, playing lockdown defense, or simply winning, Jordan was great at it all. But beyond that, he was also one of the most vicious trash talkers in the league’s history.
Jordan knew he was great and wasn’t afraid to let everyone know. There have been some extreme instances of MJ dishing out trash talk, and popular rapper and actor Common found that out the hard way after playing in the NBA’s Celebrity All-Star Game.
Common shares his hilarious Michael Jordan trash talk story
Common is a talented musician and actor, but he’s always loved basketball. Common grew up as a fan of the Chicago Bulls, and he was even a ball boy for them as a kid. His hoop dreams didn’t pan out, but he became quite successful in his current line of work.
Common is frequently a part of the Celebrity All-Star Game, as he’s played in it eight times. After one of the games, Common was feeling good about his performance, but that changed when he bumped into Jordan at a party afterwards, as he bluntly told him to not quit his day job.
“Mike is a winner, and he ain’t gonna let you feel like you can do something when you really ain’t doing it,” Common said on 7PM In Brooklyn. “I thought I was doing something, because I played in the Celebrity Game, and I got off in that game. And then I saw him at this party that night, the brand Jordan party, and he was like, ‘Man, stick to rapping and acting.’ He crushed me, man. I thought he was about to give me some love.”
MJ is still a ruthless trash talker, even in retirement
While Common doesn’t specify which specific game this came after, the Celebrity All-Star Game has only existed since 2003. So, this ended up taking place after Jordan retired since Common did not play in the 2003 game.
Everyone knows how competitive Jordan is, and that has continued even after he retired from the NBA. The Celebrity All-Star Game isn’t taken seriously, but some players, like Common, did here, go out there and put their best foot forward for the fans.
While he felt good about his performance, Jordan made sure to knock him down a few pegs. Whereas Common thought he was about to get some love from one of his idols, he was instead told that his basketball skills were subpar.
This may be one of Jordan’s wildest trash-talking stories, but it shows just how competitive he is. Common didn’t take it too personally, but he probably would have preferred that Jordan let him know his feelings in a more friendly manner.