“He Trusted Me More Afterwards”: When Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr Got Into a Terrible Fist Fight

When Michael Jordan returned from retirement in 1995, he was fiercer than ever. There were people who believed, at 32, Jordan’s best days were behind him. He wanted to answer those who were doubting his abilities.

In an attempt to get better, he worked harder than ever in training. During one such training session prior to the 1995/96 season, Jordan got into trash-talking with Steve Kerr. It was a scrimmage session where Kerr and Jordan were in opposite teams. It was the after a season in which the Bulls struggled to make it to the playoffs in the absence of Jordan. Jordan was not only determined to prove himself but also wanted to take his team to the top once again. The intensity in practice was probably to also sort the weaklings in the team. Kerr certainly wasn’t going to be among them.

Kerr didn’t take Jordan’s physicality kindly and gave Jordan back. It immediately started a row between the two before their teammates separated them. Looking back at the incident in a recent appearance on NBA on TNT, Kerr was positive about it. He said that the incident strengthened the relationship between him and Jordan.

“I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and that probably sounds really weird,” Kerr said. “I wouldn’t recommend that to anybody at home. For me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me, and I responded. I feel like I kind of passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.” 

Second three-peat for Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls

Jordan’s return made an immediate impact for the Bulls. They won 72 games in the 1995/96 season which was then an NBA record. They went on to win the season and the next two seasons. It was the Bulls sixth title in the last eight seasons. For Jordan, it was his sixth consecutive title as he had missed two seasons. Incredibly, he was the Finals MVP on all six occasions. ESPN’s documentary, The Last Dance, that aired its firs episode last Sunday, concentrates mainly on the last of the Bulls’ Championship runs in the 90s. The 10-episode series will release a new episode each Sunday. Viewers in the United States can enjoy the show on ESPN while NetFlix will be the broadcaster for others.