Would you ever refer to Michael Jordan as a calming presence? Not necessarily, right? A man legendary for his competitive fire and propensity to take it personally isn’t one to normally associate with peace-keeping. However, that is the difference between the NBA superstar’s on-court drive and off-court composure. In a shocking story, it was the Chicago Bulls legend who would act as the mediator in a rather tense exchange. While normal instincts would point otherwise, Jordan was genuinely fantastic at keeping his composure when dealing with an unorthodox situation.
Dinero Jones, more commonly known as Wack 100, made his way over to Vlad TV for an exclusive interview. Due to his history and alleged altercation with Mike at a Floyd Mayweather fight, the conversation would turn to their encounter eventually. But, according to Jones, the situation had nothing to do with MJ.
“We walking towards the parking and I hear a bunch of bustling behind me…I turn around, I see this white dude, he’s deep on it. Forearm in a suit, ‘Get out of the way! Get out of the way!’ So, he maybe got like three, four steps from me.”
But, Wack wasn’t taking that kind of treatment. “I turned on him, I said, ‘Hey bro, you’re not coming through me like that. And he took another step and a half…Cuz he had his gun in his holster. I said, ‘If you go for it, Imma take it. Imma beat your a** with it. You’re not coming through me like that.”
However, at that moment, Dinero’s attention would turn elsewhere. “About four people behind, I see somebody walking up. But, he’s not coming in an aggressive manner. So, I’m not really reacting to him. I’m paying attention to the guard in front of me with the firearm…And I hear my wife telling me, ‘It’s Michael Jordan. It’s Michael Jordan.’… I don’t give a f**k about none of that.”
But, by then, he was too far gone. “You ain’t coming through me…Either, you going to go behind me or go around me. But, you ain’t going through me.” However, rather than escalate the situation, the former owner of the Charlotte Hornets was far calmer in his approach.
“You’re right, we’re going this way” – The GOAT of Grace, Michael Jordan
With just one sentence, the 5X NBA MVP would make Jones re-evaluate his approach to situations. “To this day, when I play that s**t in my head, I use that when I’m in situations on how to deal with stuff. Till this day.” The reason is simple.
“He outclasses me. Cuz Jordan got in the middle of it all and just calming everyone down. Heard me saying what I was saying…He said calmly, ‘You’re right brother, we’re going to go this way,’ and he told the security, ‘Let’s walk this way.’ And that ended it.”
Even though not a common occurrence for him, Mike was able to showcase an excellent amount of restraint. Perhaps, Shaquille O’Neal was right about a difference between on and off the court.