Why NBA Didn't Approve Michael Jordan vs. Magic Johnson 1-On-1 Game In Las Vegas

Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson could have had a 1-on-1 game in Las Vegas, but unfortunately, it never happened.

In their Hall of Fame career, Jordan and Johnson proved that they are ahead of their competition in many ways. Both of them became the faces of their respective teams in the NBA and rivaled against each other several times. Ultimately, MJ and Magic were viewed as the two best players in the league, and in 1990, a dream 1-on-1 match between them was officially proposed.

According to the Basketball Network, Johnson revealed that he “came up with the idea” and that he and Jordan were very close to organizing a massive event in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The event was branded as “King of the Court” and the mechanics states that MJ and Magic will play a game of 1-on-1, where the winner takes home $1 million. The game was planned to a two 15-minute halves.

Things were all good on Jordan and Johnson’s part, as well as the real orchestrators of the event, Lou DiBella and Seth Abraham, two veteran promoters who had already made tons of money organizing pay-per-view boxing events.

In fact, in an interview with Roy Firestone ahead of the match, Jordan even subtly boasted that he has the advantage over Magic as he is “quicker” and more versatile.

“Not to sound cocky, I must admit I would have to have the advantage being that I would be a little bit quicker and able to use a lot more weapons than he may,” Jordan said about 1-on-1 match against Johnson.

As the deal progresses, certain issues started to arise. First, NBA legend Isiah Thomas, who happened to be the National Basketball Players Association president at the time, was against the idea. Some even believe that it was because of the grudges Thomas held against Jordan but as per the Pistons legend, the said event “sets a bad precedent.”

Secondly, the NBA was never open for such event and will never allow it to happen simply because of the fear that it could affect their reputation. Moreso, they do not want to create an event, league, or competition that could endanger the NBA and potentially bite off a bit of NBA’s market share.

According to former NBA lawyer Gary Bettman, the NBA doesn’t want to take part in an event that promotes their players as fighters. Ultimately, the deal fell through.

“We’re not interested in seeing our players being promoted like fighters in Las Vegas,” Bettman said.