While Michael Jordan completely dominated his opponents on the floor, he didn’t give them much breathing space off it either. Jordan?s mind games started way before tip-off. His exceptional skills to get inside the heads of his opponents are a testament to his greatness. A few players and fans saw his mind games as arrogance, though. In one such incident of mind games and trash-talking, an Atlanta Hawks legend gave it back to the Black Jesus, giving him a taste of his own medicine.

The 9x All-star retaliated against Jordan by giving him a bold threat back in 1987. That didn’t turn out too well for him, though.

Legendary trash-talker: Michael Jordan’s verbal prowess

Michael Jordan won his first NBA ring in 1991 and followed it up by winning in 1992 and 1993, achieving a historic three-peat. Jordan’s trash-talking skills were well ahead of the curve long before he won his first NBA title. While there have been many players who excel at talking trash, there are only a few who managed to back it up. His Airness was one of them.

In an interview with DJ Vlad, Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins shared one of Jordan?s famous trash-talking incidents. In the heart of Chicago, Jordan unexpectedly strolled into the Hawks’ locker room, dressed sharply. The surreal moment left Wilkins perplexed as he wondered why Jordan would enter their territory.

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MJ walked past Wilkins, going to one of his teammates, Randy Whitman, and tapped him on his leg to give him a message before the game.? ?Lace them up. It’s going to be a long night.??The incident left Wilkins stunned, and just to be even, he gave Jordan a taste of his own medicine. The Human Highlight Film tried to get in the head of Jordan by giving him a message for his teammate, Scottie Pippen.

?You tell that somebody Scotty Pippen I’m gonna kick his a**.? The threat fueled Jordan as he dropped 61 points on the Hawks. Despite the world-class performance by Jordan, the Bulls fell short and were defeated by the Hawks.

The perils of provoking His Airness

Michael Jordan?s trash-talking skills were elite. Jordan spared no one, not even a 17-year-old high school player. In 2006, high school phenom OJ Mayo attended Jordan’s camp. Top-class NBA players like LeBron James and Jared Dudley were also in attendance. Mayo, full of confidence, tried to trash-talk with the legend himself. And we all know what happens if Jordan takes things personally.?

Jordan took on the high schooler in a 1-v-1 and humbled him. Sinking one after another, fade-aways right on his face. This incident proved that getting personal with His Airness is always a wrong decision.

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What are your thoughts on Wilkins’ story about MJ? Let us know in the comments below.