There are only select few NBA players who have managed to rile Michael Jordan on the court. When it comes to Jordan’s rivals, the first player fans might think of would be former Pistons guard Isiah Thomas. The rivalry between the Detroit Pistons player and MJ was well-known in the sports community.

However, it was not Thomas who barred MJ from making a successful dunk every time they faced each other. It was former Atlanta Hawks star Dikembe Mutombo who had started to get on Jordan’s nerves. The reason was that Mutombo was arguably one of the best shot blockers in the league’s history and he was proving to be a competition for MJ.

When he entered the league in 1991, MJ had already made a name for himself and was on the way to winning the Chicago Bulls’ first three peat. On the other hand, Mutombo built his reputation by becoming one of the greatest shot blockers and an excellent defensive player. Therefore, there’s bound to be some kind of rivalry when two titans face each other in the court. In a 2018 interview with ESPN, the host asked Mutombo how he felt when MJ gave him his own signature finger wag after making a successful dunk.

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In response, the Atlanta Hawks star said, “It took Michael seven years to get one dunk. I’m in the Hall of Fame just from blocking shot, so give me some credit!” 

Michael Jordan uses Dikembe Mutombo’s finger wag

Every time Dikembe Mutombo and Michael Jordan faced each other in the court, they would indulge in a lot of trash-talking. In an interview with Bro Bible, Mutombo even said that he made Jordan mad! Mutombo also said that he would constantly talk-trash to MJ, which the latter didn’t like. In fact, during the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Mutombo reportedly boasted to Jordan that he has not been able to make any successful dunks against him. Being the competitive person that he is, a few months later, MJ went on to prove his dominance by doing exactly what Mutombo said he couldn’t do.

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It was the final game of the series and the Bulls were playing against the Hawks. It seemed like everything turned out perfect for His Airness. The Bulls eliminated the Hawks by 107-92 where the highlight was MJ giving Mutombo his trademark finger wag after he dunked on the Hawks star. It was also the year that the Bulls won their fifth championship.

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Who do you think of Jordan dunking on Mutombo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!