Basketball legend Michael Jordan is embroiled in controversy after inadvertently making fun of a WWE Hall of Famer. I apologized quickly to prevent the situation from escalating.
Michael Jordan is an iconic figure in the NBA. In 1999, he was hailed by ESPN as the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, second only to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press’ list of athletes of the century. On the other hand, WWE Hall of Famer and former Olympian Mark Henry is another standout in his own right. Not only did Mark Henry excel in professional wrestling, but he also proudly represented the United States in weightlifting at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
Mark Henry competed for Team USA during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was friends with many on the basketball team as well as NBA superstars such as Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Karl Malone. At the time, Michael Jordan was playing for the Chicago Bulls, who had just won their fourth championship. Michael Jordan is not on the Olympic team but occasionally hangs out with other players.
Mark Henry discusses the row in interview
Henry said in a 2020 interview with VladTV “I met the great Michael Jordan, and the story goes, Michael asked, “Who are you?” Because I didn’t fit in. I was in an environment where it was all basketball players, and he was like, ‘Who is this big guy?’ ‘”
Mark Henry stated that not only did he feel disrespected by why Michael Jordan asked him this question, but the way he asked it sounded very arrogant and disrespectful to him.
“I understand that, but my mother always said, ‘Be careful what you say, but even more careful how you say it.’ I thought the way he spoke to me was very disrespectful. I asked him about it, He apologized,” Henry said. “Oh my gosh, he invited me to his birthday party at the All-Star Game. I went to his birthday party and, you know, he said, ‘Happy birthday, thanks for the invite,’ and had a great time.”
Michael Jordan is 6.6 feet tall and weighs nearly 100 kilograms, but he feels he cannot be confused with the world’s strongest man, Mark Henry. They later became friends with him and invited him to his birthday party.
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