Michael Jordan has given his opponents a lot of career-ending moments. The Chicago Bulls icon is excellent with mind games. Although he mostly uses his ball skills to get the best of his rivals, at times, his trash talk comes in handy. One such occasion was the brutal defeat he gave to a 5’3 NBA star from the Charlotte Hornets during the 1995 playoffs. Despite enduring a cold-blooded moment from MJ like that, the 5’3 veteran went on to choose another NBA superstar, when he was asked to pick a player who gave him a tough time on the court.
Muggsy Bogues, one of the NBA’s best small guards, was a stellar defender in the league back then. Bogues played mind-blowing defense on his opponents who had an evident physical advantage on him. Only the best in business managed to crack his defense. Michael Jordan was one of them, but there was another legend who did that.
Bogues joined Knuckleheads Podcast, where he was asked to name an opponent who busted him on the offense. Without hesitation, he replied, “The first person I considered was a challenge, it was Magic [Johnson]. I was with the Washington Bullets and in my first preseason game we played the Lakers…It was my first introduction to the league. They made the big comparison, him being 6’9 and I’m being 5’3. It wasn’t about his scoring, it was about his passing ability.”
However, if we look back on his incident with Jordan in 1995, you wouldn’t be wrong if you predicted the Bulls legend to be his toughest competitor.
How did Michael Jordan get under the skin of Muggsy Bogues?
In round one of the Eastern Conference, the Bulls and the Hornets faced each other. Jordan helped the Bulls take a 2-1 lead, and in game 4, the Hornets were trailing down by a point. Bogues was trusted to take the last shot, who was guarded by Michael Jordan. He was not able to make the shot, and the Hornets’ playoff run came to an end.
Let’s come to the devastating part for Bogues. Jordan, who was guarding Bogues, did not contest the shot. He rather told the 5’3 veteran, “Shoot it, you f*****g midget!”. This must have hurt more than a missed shot. On top of this, the playoff run also came to an end for Bogues.
As per reports, Bogues told his assistant coach that his shot never recovered. That was a humbling moment for Bogues. Yet, when it came to the toughest competitor, Bogues stuck to Magic Johnson. So, was the Los Angeles Lakers legend deadlier than Jordan?
Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video: