Nobody on television defends Michael Jordan more passionately than Skip Bayless. He has been hell-bent on protecting Jordan’s legacy from any reputable challenger since his days covering the Bulls for the Chicago Tribune.
Watching Skip on TV may convince you he was never critical of His Airness — or even brutally honest. But if you dig back far enough, the popular talking head — formerly a writer — has offered objective views on the Bulls legend.
“When I was writing columns for the Chicago Tribune, I studied Michael and got to know him a little. Michael arrogantly strode through many of the same mines that are exploding around Kobe. Michael wasn’t the best husband after hours. Michael punched out two nice-guy teammates during practice – Steve Kerr and Will Perdue. Michael ran off a coach, Doug Collins, in part because of their soap-opera feud. Michael was often at war with an opposing player or the Chicago media,” Skip wrote on ESPN.com
Those were harsh words by the NBA analyst. As much as MJ was lauded for being relentless and ultra-competitive on the court, he apparently was equally as such off the court, which doesn’t make him an easy character. To Skip’s credit, he has been on record stating Jordan’s flaws off the court. But that doesn’t impact Mike’s GOAT status in Bayless’ eyes.
The time MJ punched Steve Kerr
The ‘The Last Dance’ docuseries on Netflix revealed many MJ moments away from live NBA action. Among these moments was when Jordan punched teammate Steve Kerr in the face during a practice. The six-time champ was as intense as an NBA Finals Game 7 during training sessions. He didn’t let loose on the effort and ensured his teammates weren’t slacking.
Funny enough, the moment in 1995 actually strengthened Kerr and Jordan’s relationship. This is another testament to MJ’s overall leadership style and ability to rein in his teammates.
“I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and that probably sounds really weird,” Kerr said in a TNT interview. “I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody at home. It has to be understood in the context of intense competition. One thing that was more prevalent back then than now was the intensity of practices back then. ”
“I think we’re smarter now with preserving our players. We don’t have as many practice days. It’s more about rest and recovery. … It wasn’t really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But for me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me, and I responded. I feel like I kind of passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.”
Fights weren’t considered a big deal back in MJ’s time. To Kerr, getting punched in the face might be a necessary evil. You better believe Kerr played his hardest in every game after his run-in with Mie. He learned the hard way that Jordan’s not the guy you want to tick off.
All this encapsulated Jordan’s greatness
It wasn’t just that MJ was willing to do everything to win. He didn’t just want to be the best in the world. His ability to relight the fire underneath himself truly made Jordan the best. He always found a new summit to scale. He wasn’t satisfied. He just thought there was always something left for him to prove, which ultimately drove him to be the best he could be.
MJ was the same kid who was cut from his high school varsity basketball team. He’s the same guy who spoke about how his many failures led to his success. In a team setting, this desire rubbed off on his teammates—literally.
Isiah Tomas and Michael Jordan