Michael Jordan Forced Spurs Legend Into Paying Heavy Price for Sheer Audacity

Every kid with a basketball dream grows up idolizing someone—copying their moves, mimicking their swagger. For Stephen Jackson, it was always Michael Jordan. “Black Jesus” wasn’t just his hero; he was the blueprint. Fast forward, and not only did Jackson meet his childhood idol, he hooped with him, got mentored by him, and even got cooked by him. But here’s the twist: as much as Jackson still reveres MJ, he’s convinced that even the GOAT couldn’t make a comeback in today’s league.

In 2009–10, Jackson averaged 21.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 3.6 apg for Charlotte, powering their first playoff berth. But then came 2010, and everything shifted. In 2010, Jordan paid $275 M for majority control of the Bobcats, becoming the NBA’s only Black majority owner. Suddenly, Jackson’s spotlight felt dim next to MJ’s ownership glow.

On a recent episode of the Dan Patrick Show, Jackson recalled how Michael Jordan didn’t just sit back as team owner. He laced up, checked into practice, and went right at the players when he felt they needed humbling. “He actually came out there and played one-on-one with some guys. But one day he really tore into my butt and got to practice,” Jackson said. “Came to practice and wanted to make a statement to the team because we was kind of feeling ourselves, and he showed up and destroyed us. And me and him kind of had a verbal back and forth ’cause I’m a competitor, but it didn’t go the way I wanted it to.”

Stephen Jackson shares the story of the time Michael Jordan dressed up in full uniform to scrimmage against the Bobcats pic.twitter.com/NTFVxffiBh

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 28, 2025

Jackson says he knew Jordan meant business when he donned a second-team jersey and jumped into practice. “When he showed up with practice, with a practice uniform on. That’s when I knew he was serious,” Jackson said. “He showed up with some Jordan shorts, and he had the little… the second team practice jersey on. That’s when I knew it was a problem and that’s when I knew he was mad.”

MJ joined the reserves in a scrimmage and torched Jackson, Wallace, Felton, and Diaw—then hit the game-winner. “Jack is still talking, ‘that’s a foul,’” Gerald Wallace had previously recalled while talking to the Basketball Network. “Jordan goes, ‘The m———– ain’t never been an All-Star but wants all the All-Star calls.’” To top it off, he brought in Charles Oakley and beat Jackson one-on-one.

Despite Jordan torching him at 47, Jackson doubts MJ could endure a full-court comeback, “No. I think, you know, for half court and the way we were practicing, we stayed on half court. We went to like eight points. It was better for him because he didn’t have to get back up and down. I don’t think he could. ” Though he concedes, “but you know, that’s Michael Jordan, man, anything he put his mind to, he could. He did.” Jackson left it open for MJ to prove otherwise, because there was always that question hanging in the air about whether he might come back.

Why did Michael Jordan retire three times?

Michael Jordan walked away from basketball three times. Each time, it felt like the end of an era. The first one in 1993? That wasn’t just MJ stepping away from the game, it was a man grieving, exhausted, and emotionally drained. “At 30, I was moving so fast,” Jordan later admitted. “I never had time to think about all the things I was encountering, all the things I was touching.” His father, James Jordan, had just been m——d that summer, and the loss hit MJ hard. On top of that, Jordan was constantly under fire from the media about his gambling, as reported by Basket News. So when his father passed, Jordan saw a chance to step away and honor his dad’s dream of seeing him play baseball.

Unknown Date; Richfield, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; Chicago Bulls guard (23) Michael Jordan talks to forward (33) Scottie Pippen against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Richfield Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sports (c) Copyright USA TODAY Sports

Then came retirement number two in 1999. MJ had returned in ’95, fueled by unfinished business. He led the Bulls to another three-peat, bringing his total to six rings, and hit that iconic game-winner in the ’98 Finals. But behind the scenes, everything was falling apart. As The Last Dance showed us, Bulls management had already made up its mind—they were moving on. Phil Jackson wasn’t coming back. Scottie Pippen was gone. Dennis Rodman, too. And MJ? He’d said it loud and clear: “I would only continue playing if the Bulls decided to keep the team together.” They didn’t. So he retired again. “I don’t regret my decision at all,” he said at the time to the Basketball Network. “I think it’s the appropriate one, or no one else will have an opportunity to win if I keep playing.”

But then came 2001, and somehow, despite being the president of basketball operations for the Washington Wizards, Jordan’s fire hadn’t died. He was 38. “One of the bad decisions I made was to go back and play,” Jordan later reflected in 2005. “Even though I was soothing an itch that I had, I also thought I was being innovative in my job by going down and evaluating the talent firsthand.” The comeback didn’t end in a fairytale. Two playoff-less seasons, a sore knee, and his final moments on the bench instead of holding a trophy. Still, that itch to play never left. In 2013, at age 50, after finally retiring in 2003, he told ESPN: “I would give up everything now to go back and play the game of basketball.”

However, as Jackson’s anecdote shows, Jordan outplayed pros at 47. Just goes to show, MJ’s competitive fire never really left the court.

The post Michael Jordan Forced Spurs Legend Into Paying Heavy Price for Sheer Audacity appeared first on EssentiallySports.