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Bulls Star, Who Once Beat Michael Jordan in 3 Point Contest, Ripped Apart ‘His Airness’ for Social Stance in Middle of the 1992 NBA Finals

Published 08/09/2022, 9:00 AM EDT

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All-Time NBA great Michael Jordan isn’t one to always comment about politics or social issues. At times, his silence has been used against him by people. And Jordan has been scrutinized for his silence or for not taking a stance. Interestingly, once his own teammate, Craig Hodges, criticized him for not taking a stance. He was a backup guard for the Chicago Bulls and played alongside Jordan. Hodges was also one of the best three-point shooters during his time in the league.

Interestingly, he has beaten his teammate Jordan in the 1992 3-point contest. Furthermore, Hodges won the 3-point contest three times in a row from 1990 to 1992. And his scathing take on MJ’s stance came during the 1992 NBA Finals.

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After finally winning the NBA title in 1991, Jordan had his eyes set on defending the title. This time around, it was the high-flying Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers who were in the way. Also, it was during the whole Rodney King incident that shocked the nation.

Why was Craig Hodges unhappy with Jordan? 

Craig Hodges was disappointed with MJ not taking a sentence. “When they came to Michael after the L.A. deal went down and asked him what he thought, his reply was that he wasn’t really up on what was going on,” Hodges said. “I can understand that, but at the same time, that’s a bailout situation because you are bailing out when some heat is coming on you. We can’t bail anymore.”

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However, this didn’t deter MJ’s goal of winning the second straight title. Jordan and the Bulls won the 1992 finals by defeating the Trail Blazers 4-2. After winning the 1992 Olympic Gold medal with the Dream Team, this was yet another feather in the cap of the GOAT. Craig Hodges, MJ’s critic, also won 2 NBA titles with the Bulls in 1991 and 1992. However, he was waived by the Bulls after the 1992 season.

When Michael Jordan broke his silence

Michael Jordan has always been criticized for not taking a stance or not commenting on social issues. Many think that the Billionaire doesn’t want to take a stance and ruin his business endeavors. But in 2016, Jordan broke his silence and wrote about the shootings of African-Americans and the targeting of police officers.

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Jordan wrote that he can no longer stay silent. He said that the country needs to find a solution to ensure equal treatment of the African-American community. And he said that police officers that protect us all should be respected and supported.

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

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Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.
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Edited by:

Rupak Kumar Jha