Michael Jordan Schooled NBA Star After Being Told He Was Old, Ex-Bobcat Says

After being poked by Stephen Jackson in a Charlotte Bobcats scrimmage years ago, Michael Jordan decided to teach his player a lesson.

In a recent interview with “Inside Buzz with Mikey Domagala,” former Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera recalled that in the 2010-11 season, the Bobcats , now called Hornets, were one of the worst teams in the NBA. Jordan, being a hands-on owner of the team, decided to come to a practice session to give his players a few pointers. However, Najera revealed that what came next was something unexpected.

Then-Bobcats star Jackson started talking smack, claiming Jordan was already past his prime and would be dominated by the youngsters. In classic MJ fashion, the six-time NBA champ retaliated and schooled everybody, eventually ending up thumping Jackson in a competitive one-on-one game.

“We were going through a rough patch,” Najera recalled. “Michael [Jordan] decided to jump in and [bring Charles Oakley] on his team. Stephen Jackson, being Stephen Jackson, started talking trash. Jackson said, ‘that was the past, this is now, and I will bust your a--’.”

“Michael got furious, trash-talking and killing him and all of us, telling Stephen Jackson, ’how does the leather taste in your mouth’ after every shot,” he continued. “Then it became a 1-on-1. It did not end up well for Stephen Jackson. Michael won.”

Reflecting on the intense moment, Najera said that Jordan and Jackson’s one-on-one game did the struggling Bobcats good in the end.

“It was incredible,” the 12-year NBA veteran concluded. “It was good for the team, and we snapped out of the losing streak we had.”

Najera’s story wasn’t the first account of Jordan getting mad over someone talking trash inside the court. Sometime during OJ Mayo’s training at Jordan's camp, MJ also taught him a valuable lesson after he boasted “You can’t guard me” during a scrimmage.

“Mike was Mike,” Mayo said in an NBA.com interview in 2013. “He was jawing a little bit, really getting into me defensively. He's backing me down. He said, 'Better scream for mama. Mama. Mama.' Hit the famous fadeaway on me. I said, 'OK, OK, you've got it going.'”

More importantly, Mayo was reminded of one thing at the time.

"He said, 'OK, young fella, let me tell you something. You may be the best high school player in the world, but I'm the greatest ever. Don't you ever disrespect the great like that,'” he said of Jordan.