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Michael Jordan, Who Initially Praised His 6”7 Bulls Teammate, “Ruined” the NBA Champion’s Career with Repeated Trash Talks

Published 08/01/2022, 10:00 PM EDT

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The dominance of Michael Jordan in the 90s has seldom been replicated in the NBA, if ever. His Airness absolutely tore through his opposition, physically and mentally, during his stint with the Chicago Bulls. Not only that, Michael Jordan often impacted his own teammates too.

Netflix’s popular docuseries ‘The Last Dance’ captures Jordan’s cynical treatment of his teammates. The six-time NBA champion didn’t hesitate to cross the line to push his teammates to their absolute limits. And sometimes over it.

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As it turns out, Michael Jordan’s harsh treatment “ruined” his Chicago Bulls teammate Rodney McCray. In fact, the 31-year-old retired from basketball after spending only one season with the Bulls.

Michael Jordan “ruined” his Bulls teammate Rodney McCray

Before the 1992-93 season, the Chicago Bulls acquired Rodney McCray to strengthen their roster. The 31-year-old player agreed to play the part of a role player for a championship ring.

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Meanwhile, Jordan showered McCray in adulations before his arrival. “Rodney is a very versatile player, ” MJ had said. “He’s a good rebounder, a good defensive player that can fit right into our game in terms of having a ballhandler, who can rebound, bring the ball upcourt and start our break.”

That’s going to be very helpful to us,” he had further added.

However, McCray learned pretty soon that the reality was a bit different from the advertisement. In fact, one of Jordan’s teammates reported that MJ had “practically ruined” Rodney McCray.

In other words, the Bulls legend would repeatedly bully McCray in practice scrimmages. Moreover, he would yell “You’re a loser! You’ve always been a loser!” at the 6’7″ forward after dominating him, according to the source.

As it turns out, this kind of treatment completely destroyed McCray’s psyche. In fact, the 1980 NCAA champion averaged only 3.5 points, 1.3 assists, and 2.5 boards through the course of the season.

Bulls championship win and McCray’s retirement

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In 1993, the Chicago Bulls won their sixth NBA championship and completed their second three-peat. On the other hand, Jordan secured his sixth NBA championship ring and sixth Finals MVP.

Meanwhile, Rodney McCray announced his retirement after the conclusion of the season. One season with Michael Jeffrey Jordan proved to be too much for the veteran forward.

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Watch this Story: How Many 40 point Games Does Michael Jordan Have?

Do you think Jordan was in the wrong for his treatment of McCray? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Satagni Sikder

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Satagni Sikder is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in English from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and has been following the NBA since 2017. Moreover, he supports the Dallas Mavericks, and unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic is his favorite player.
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Edited by:

Melroy Fernandes