Who can score on Michael Jordan one-on-one? Maybe Kobe Bryant, maybe Allen Iverson. But what if someone told you Flavor Flav—the 5-foot-7 hypeman of Public Enemy—once got a bucket on MJ? Sounds impossible, right? Well, Flav has been saying it for over a year now. But just like most basketball fans, his hip-hop rival Spike Lee isn’t buying it. And recently, Flav brought up the incident again, doubling down on his claim.

During an event, The Score’s Brad Parker took the opportunity to revisit the bold statement. “I interviewed you last year, and I asked you who’s the one NBA player you’re most confident you could get a bucket on, and you said you scored on Michael Jordan? Did that actually happen? Because people don’t believe it,” Parker asked. The moment was set—Flav had the chance to backtrack, but instead, he stood firm.

But not everyone was convinced. One of Flav’s biggest skeptics? Spike Lee. “I ain’t buy it. Mike would not let that happen,” Lee said, dismissing the story outright. When Flav got wind of Lee’s doubt, he fired back without hesitation. “You know why? Because Spike wasn’t there,” he shot back. As Parker suggested, he might one day ask Jordan himself, Flav even predicted MJ’s response. “It was a wild shot, but it went in.”

Interestingly, Flav and Lee have both shaped hip-hop culture in their own ways for over four decades. Lee got his start in 1977, making his mark as a filmmaker, while Flav entered the scene in 1985 as part of Public Enemy. Lee’s career speaks for itself—an Academy Award, two Emmys, a BAFTA, and multiple honorary accolades.

Meanwhile, Flav, known for his iconic “Yeah, boyeeeeee!” catchphrase, co-founded Public Enemy, a group with six Grammy nominations and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both are legends in their own right, even if they don’t see eye to eye on this particular story.

Why is Spike Lee so sure about Jordan-Flav duel?

Before diving into Spike Lee’s doubts, let’s rewind to what Flavor Flav actually said. A year ago, he was asked, “Who’s the one NBA player you’re most confident you could get at least one bucket on?” Without hesitation, Flav dropped a name no one expected—Michael Jordan. “Michael Jordan, already did it. I threw up a wild one-handed shot. The ball said ehhhhhh, swish!” he claimed.

So why doesn’t Spike Lee believe it? One reason might be how well he knows MJ. Their connection dates back to the ‘80s, and it all started in the most unexpected way. Jim Riswold, a copywriter at the agency behind Nike’s commercials, saw She’s Gotta Have It (1986). The movie featured Mars Blackmon, a character played by none other than its writer and director—an unknown Spike Lee at the time. Blackmon’s obsession with Air Jordans caught Riswold’s eye, and he wasted no time reaching out to Lee the next day.

Lee’s first response? “I get to direct the spots, right?” And just like that, the iconic ‘Spike and Mike’ Nike commercials were born. The campaign didn’t just boost sneaker sales—it gave fans a side of Jordan rarely seen.

And that bond ran deep. You would have found The ‘Spike and Mike’ duo sitting courtside at NBA games, hanging out with Hollywood legends like Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne. And as for Flav’s story? Only MJ can settle it. Let’s see if that ever happens.