Getty Images Michael Jordan (L) of the Chicago Bulls against Shandon Anderson of the Utah Jazz
Six-time NBA champion, Michael Jordan is excellence personified.
Appearing on the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Jamal Crawford and I discussed the upcoming, Chicago Bulls documentary, playing one-on-one against MJ AND what the Chicago Bulls icon’s house looks like.
Check out a snippet from our discussion below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Jamal I gotta ask this question because I think you were there. So with coronavirus you kind of get a chance being home. You kind of sit down and watch a lot documentaries. So I watched a documentary where supposedly a former player on the Bulls said, that he could do Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan comes to the Berto Center – that’s where the Bulls used to practice, and he destroyed this “player” in the practice center. Were you there? I was not there, but I came the next year. And then they told me all about it. It was Corey Benjamin. I wish I was there. Jordan came in there, and it was just – a show. Everybody was on the side watching: Elton Brand, you got Tristian Thompson, Hersey Hawkins, Ron Artest all the players around watching him. They actually have the footage and that’s the first time I heard about that story.
Jamal Crawford: Is Michael’s level of petty exaggerated?
Jamal Crawford: As far as what? [laughs]
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Like a lot of people say that they can beat Michael. A lot people put like – they think Michael is just this Boogeyman. He comes and just beats these people. OJ Mayo when he was in high school. He said that he could destroy Michael. And then Michael destroyed him at his camp. Why is he beating on these kids on the basketball court? Is it really petty or is it proving a point?
Jamal Crawford: He’s THAT competitive. He will not turn down any challenge period. It can be anything. It could be a halfcourt shot, It could be a left-handed 3 pointer, it could be anything. It can be literally anything. We can roll the ball and see who gets closest to the wall without touching it. It could be anything. That’s him. He has a level of competiveness that I have never seen. I personally think that’s why him and Kobe hit it off when he went pro because he saw himself in Kobe. Yeah. And I think that’s why. Like, he saw the competitor, he saw the drive and how much Kobe knows about the game. He always wants to become greater and he would ask questions with seriousness. You know, that’s where I think part of the admiration comes from.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Did you ever get the chance to play against him on-on-one?
Jamal Crawford: MJ?
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Yeah.
Jamal Crawford: Yeah. In the commercial. [laughs]
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Other than that…
Jamal Crawford: Nope that was it. We were always on the same team. Even when I went to his house, we were on the same team. I would stay on his team all the time. It got to the point if I wasn’t there he would just wait there and were going to start playing. He would just wait. Now in the one-on-one commercial we were playing and talking trash and everything.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Does Michael Jordan’s house smell like juices and berries?
Jamal Crawford: Is this what you heard? [laughing]
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: I haven’t heard nothing. How many people can casually say that they were at Michael’s house? I know a lot of people but I have never been to Michael’s house…
Jamal Crawford: The place so big. I mean it was clean but it was big. I’m sure certain areas smell different than other areas, I’m sure. But I don’t remember the juices and berries, but I know it was clean and it was spotless. And I remember different things that he was showing me. The trophy room and obviously we were in the gym, just different areas – different areas of the house…amazing. Walked through the kitchen, that smelled amazing. It was an experience that still feels surreal.
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Are you excited for the Chicago Bulls documentary?
Jamal Crawford: Aww man! Are you kidding me? I can’t wait! I wanted that last year! But I can’t wait until that comes out. And what’s amazing about that is, think about it — that it was only the last season. It was so many other stories before that. I’m glad that we could see some of those stories today