Few figures in sports history hold the same mythical status as Michael Jordan. For many, meeting the basketball legend is the pinnacle of their careers- an experience often sought by today’s athletes who idolize His Airness. NBA stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant spoke openly about studying Jordan’s game. Young players like Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker have expressed admiration for the 61-year-old, eager to absorb his wisdom whenever the opportunity arises. Such moments are monumental, yet sometimes it’s not the pristine snapshots but the imperfect ones that tell the best stories.

In a recent appearance on Whistle Sports podcast, basketball skills coach Chris Matthews, famously known as Lethal Shooter, reflected on his unforgettable encounter with Michael Jordan at the Hall of Fame ceremony, a moment that has since gone viral — not for its clarity but rather for its blurriness. “Shout out to the VP at the Jordan brand. His name’s Reggie. He’s been believing in me for the last five years on what I’ve been doing for the company. He told me, ‘Hey, today’s your day, man. We are gonna make sure this moment happens.’ So they had me wait near a door. But the door was dark. My guy took the picture, but the flash was so bright so the back was perfect, but me and MJ are fuzzy. I’m not gonna lie to you. When I saw the picture, I damn near wanted to cry,” Matthews said during the podcast.

The “blurry” image shared across social media platforms quickly resonated with millions and garnered 34 million impressions. For fans, it captured a feeling more powerful than perfection—a genuine moment between two respected figures in the basketball world. “But I realized about life. It’s not always about getting a picture. It’s about enjoying the moment… If the picture was clean and I posted it, I don’t think it would’ve got 34 million impressions in 12 hours,” added Matthews.

In the NBA community, Chris Matthews has become a fixture for his reputation as a shooting specialist. His career history is marked by his humility, his dedication and his expertise which have given him a longstanding role with the Jordan Brand. In 2022 Mathews made history by becoming the first trainer to have a PE assigned to him by Jordan Brand. “Jordan Brand came to me about this about a year and a half ago. People think something like this happens overnight, but for a year and a half, I knew I had a shoe coming out and it was killing me not to tell anybody. They saw my love and passion for the game and they said they wanted to reward me for that,” said Matthews during the release of his shoe.

Matthews is one of the most in-demand shooting coaches, working with numerous NBA and WNBA athletes to perfect their shot, including two currently playing in the NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics’ Grant Williams and Daniel Theis. This viral moment not only showcases the enduring appeal of Michael Jordan but also highlights how Chris Matthews has become a significant figure in basketball’s contemporary landscape. However, a few days after the Hall of Fame ceremony, it looked like the 39-year-old coach was on a mission.

Chris Matthews pleaded to enhance his ‘Blurry’ photo

As mentioned earlier, Lethal Shooter really regretted the outcome of the photo with Jordan. So just a few days after the Hall of Fame ceremony, the celebrity coach took to his social media to take matters into his own hands.

The social media post by Matthews read, “I took a picture with Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, it came out blurry. Can someone please restore this picture to make it clear PLEASE?” However, instead of receiving technical assistance, Matthews’ plea sparked a wave of hilarious memes and creative photo edits. So the Red Bull backed coach did nothing with the picture and ultimately posted it on Instagram.

The particular post on Instagram now currently has 496,945 likes and 4,187 comments. Besides Jordan, Matthews shared clicks with many great players like Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee. In the end, we can say that the incident serves as a reminder of the power of social media to turn ordinary events into extraordinary moments of online humor.