Whenever Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan played, he was on the end of a lot of fouls and dirty plays. He was so good that the opposition had to come up with such tactics to try to defeat him. So it is surprising when someone calls Jordan a ‘dirty player,’ when it always seemed like he was one of the receiving end of it.

During a recent interview, former SuperSonics star Xavier McDaniel branded Jordan a dirty player. He said, “Michael Jordan is one of the dirtiest players you’re going to play against. Larry Bird, he will do anything to win a game. He’ll trip you, he’ll grab your hand and then flop and say, ‘oh he’s fouling me.’

“Toughness comes in all types. You can be tough like Mike, he get the fussing and what oh my god. But Michael Jordan (was) one of the dirtiest players.”

McDaniel doesn’t clearly explain the reason behind the statement, so it is surprising. Dirty isn’t a word one would usually associate with Jordan, so it throws you off, but it could be related to his competitiveness. He was known for being the biggest competition who would do anything for a win. Even if it meant punching his teammates, berating them, or yelling at them.

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McDaniel’s fight with Michael Jordan in 1992

After being drafted fourth overall by the SuperSonics, McDaniel was a solid forward for them and made the All-Star team once. Six seasons later, he was traded to the Suns, who again traded him within a season to the Knicks.

So during the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals, McDaniel and the Knicks faced their fierce rivals, the Bulls. Whenever these two teams faced each other, sparks were bound to fly. In Game 7, McDaniel had an argument with Jordan’s teammate Scottie Pippen before being separated.

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When the Knicks forward tried to jaw at him again, Jordan intervened, before sending off McDaniel with a “f*ck you” to you his face. Getting Jordan annoyed wasn’t a good idea for the Knicks, as he ended up scoring 42 points. The Knicks were sent home with a blowout 29 point loss, and their playoff journey ended.

That was McDaniel’s only playoff bout with Jordan, and he would have concluded it was best to mess with His Airness.