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“I Was Not Playing Michael Jordan” Unseen Video of Jazz Legend Reacting to ’98 NBA Finals Against Chicago Bulls

Published 05/21/2020, 8:13 AM EDT

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Michael Jordan has been a competitive player since day one. He has had rivalries with multiple players and their clubs throughout his career. One of them was against Utah Jazz legend and one of the greatest NBA players Karl Malone. The two have held grudges against each other for years now.

In Jordan’s last two NBA championship wins, ’97 and ’98, the only obstacle in his way were Utah Jazz. Chicago Bulls faced them twice in the finals in two years.

Recently it was revealed by the director of ‘The Last Dance’, Jason Hehir, that one of the two people who refused to be interviewed was Malone. Well, we probably know why he didn’t want to do so.

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Karl Malone is sharp with his words when it comes to Michael Jordan

Amidst all of this, E60 posted a video featuring Malone on Instagram where he was asked about his feelings about Michael Jordan. With a cigar in his hand, Karl looked least interested in the interviewer’s questions.

He just shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly when asked about his thoughts when Jordan’s name is mentioned.

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Michael Jordan. Like what else I need to say?”

When he was specifically asked about the 1998 NBA finals, the reaction didn’t change at all. “Why? Why do I have to? But I’ll tell you this, I accept responsibility for not winning.”

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He did eventually open up on this, saying, “I have the utmost respect for Michael, but I never thought I was playing Michael Jordan. I was playing the Chicago Bulls.”

“Everybody says this person (Karl) was a bad man and all that. Well, yes, I give them respect. But I’ve got a setup. I’m a man, and I was a bad son of a b***h, too. So that’s how I look at that, and that’s who I am,” he added.

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Karl was a terrific player of the same era as Jordan. Unfortunately, he could never touch the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in his career. However, he earned immense respect for his on-court performances. He became a 14-time NBA All-Star and was named the MVP twice.

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Written by:

Pavni Ahuja

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