The 5 biggest scandals of Michael Jordan’s career

Modified at 02:31 GMT on September 2, 2023

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time for his achievements on the court. However, not every story is perfect as he has faced his fair share of scandals.

Jordan always excelled on the court, but he also encountered some obstacles. As an NBA star, his career is always under the microscope, making it difficult for him to make mistakes. However, MJ still got into some controversy of his own making along the way.

Also read: Who is Sam Perkins?Learn more about Michael Jordan’s former teammates who won Olympic gold

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Michael Jordan’s competitiveness made him look bad in some situations

NBA stars are supposed to be competitive. We’ve seen this with stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and even Larry Bird. But if the topic is about competition, no one can match Michael Jordan’s desire as a player.

The six-time champion is known as a tenacious competitor who will do whatever it takes to gain the upper hand. Back in the 1993 NBA Finals, when the Bulls were playing the Phoenix Suns, he bought Charles Barkley a $20,000 earring to trick his “best friend” into thinking they were are good friends. Chicago won the series against Phoenix that year.

Also read: Personalized Michael Jordan book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is now available for $24,000

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#5 Boxing Steve Kerr

Chemistry with teammates is important, which is why everyone was surprised to find out that Jordan once beat his own teammate, Steve Kerr. Kerr, now the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, addressed the incident in a 2020 episode of Netflix’s “The Last Dance.”

“As a person, I’m very patient, but I lose my temper sometimes because I’m also very competitive,” Kerr said. “Usually, it’s just not good enough to back it up.

“We talked it out. Our relationship improved dramatically from that point on.”

They may have figured it out, but it looked bad for the then-star shooting guard.

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#4 Michael Jordan’s first retirement

Many people were surprised when Jordan announced his retirement after winning the 1993 NBA Finals. According to him, he lost the desire to play basketball, but many people believe that he had something to do with his father’s brutal murder.

Still, he honored his late father by pursuing a baseball career, something his father had always wanted him to do.

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#3 His tenure with the Charlotte Hornets

Jordan’s experience as an owner has been disappointing, to say the least. In more than 15 years as team owner, he has failed to build a winning team. He dominated most of what happened in basketball but failed to get results.

Recently, it was reported that Jordan sold his majority stake for US$3 billion.

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#2 Deny Nike’s Unfair Labor Practices

Back in 1996, Michael Jordan was involved in a dispute with Nike over the shoe company’s labor practices. According to reports at the time, Nike was using sweatshop labor methods to produce more shoes.

The 14-time All-Star had no further comment on the matter and decided to focus on playing basketball.

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#1 Leaving Isiah Thomas off the Dream Team

Competition was fierce during MJ’s time as an NBA superstar. He has also had a lot of competition, his biggest rival being Isiah Thomas. Leading up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Team USA assembled the greatest basketball team in the history of the game.

However, in order for the team to have Jordan, they had to leave Thomas off the roster. It was a request from the Bulls legend himself, and the two haven’t spoken since.