Story revealed about why you should never trash talk Michael Jordan
The Last Dance painted a clear picture, do not get on the bad side of Michael Jordan. One former teammate found out why in brutal fashion.
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It’s been well-documented that Michael Jordan used any edge, perceived or imaginary, to motivate himself as a player. As an executive, he didn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting him, either.
When Jordan was president of basketball operations for the Wizards during the 2000-01 season, he sometimes practised with the team. Jordan ended up trading Laron Profit because Profit trash-talked him according to former Washington guard Richard Hamilton.
“We used to talk trash to M.J. all the time, but it was only certain things that I would say. And [Profit] would sometimes say a little bit of extra stuff that. … I wouldn’t go there.
“I remember one time, we were playing in practice, and Prof might’ve hit a shot on MJ, and he was running down court. ‘Yeah, you can’t guard me with them old-ass knees,'” Hamilton said on Showtime’s “All the Smoke.”
“M.J. was heated. He was heated to the point that when I went to my exit meeting, [Jordan] was like, ‘Your man, he outta here.'”
Richard Hamilton said Laron Profit once got the better of Michael Jordan on one possession in a Wizards practice and told MJ “You can't guard me with them old-ass knees."
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) May 28, 2020
A few months later Michael Jordan traded Laron Profit to the Orlando Magic
(🎥 All The Smoke) pic.twitter.com/8nU8WiXYG3
That off-season, Jordan dealt Profit to the Magic.
The following year, Jordan officially returned to the court to play two more seasons, reaching the All-Star game both years. As for Profit, he never played a game for the Magic, though he did return to the Wizards in 2004. He only averaged 3.3 points in a nondescript career.
The lesson: Talk trash to Jordan at your risk. It rarely, if ever, turns out well.
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
Originally published as Story revealed about why you should never trash talk Michael Jordan