The rivalry between Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan was one for the ages. Wilkins, known not only for his jaw-dropping dunks but also for his scoring ability, went toe-to-toe with MJ throughout the ’80s. By then, Jordan was already known for trash-talking, but Wilkins became one of the rare players exempt from it.
It was during his time on The Dan Patrick Show in 2022 that the Atlanta Hawks legend revealed this shocking fact. Initially, he talked about just how excited he used to be ahead of every game against Jordan. He even claimed that the experiences were always “fun” to him.
Following this, Dan Patrick admitted that he never saw the two players talk too much during their games against each other. Responding to this, the man formerly known as The Human Highlight Reel said,
“It’s certain times that you talk. Now Mike [Michael Jordan], get under your skin, he might say a little bit. But, he wasn’t a big time trash-talker. He didn’t have to be. But, if he talked trash, you know, he was trying to get in your head, or somebody he didn’t like. But other than that now, he didn’t talk a lot.”
It is undoubtedly surprising to hear that Jordan of all people didn’t talk a lot of trash. However, it is possible that he would only look to go down such a route if an opponent got on his nerves.
One way or the other, as Wilkins put it, Jordan wasn’t a player who needed to talk a lot of trash. But, when he did it, there were seldom any doubts about what he was looking to do. Of course, an example of this habit of his is very much available.
Wilkins revealed Jordan once entered his team’s locker room before a game
To enter an opponent team’s locker room before a game is a bold move, to say the absolute least. Yet, it was exactly what Michael Jordan did ahead of a contest against the Atlanta Hawks in 1987.
Wilkins was asked about just this incident during a 2023 interview with DJ Vlad. Explaining the Chicago Bulls legend’s shocking actions, he said,
“Michael [Jordan] walks into our [the Hawks’] locker room. Suit and tie. And I’m like, ‘What’s this son of a gun coming to our locker room for?!’… He get to Randy Wittman, he taps him on his leg, he said, ‘Lace ’em up! It’s going to be a long night!’. And I’m shocked, I didn’t know what to say… He had 60 that night”
Wilkins did later mention that it was the Atlanta Hawks that eventually came away as the victors. However, he was clearly in awe of just how confident MJ was throughout this whole ordeal.