Like every great player in the opulent 75-year history of the league, Michael Jordan was no exception in facing the most formidable obstacles on his way to greatness. However, what stands out from His Airness beyond everyone else, is his ability to overcome the most demanding challenges and rise to the top. In fact, Jordan overcame his challenges while dominating his competition on the hardwood and cemented himself among the game’s greats.

Despite the popular beliefs of his almighty status, Michael Jordan also suffered hardships and weaknesses in his game. His infamous highlights of dunking with the tongue sticking out marked Jordan’s dominance. However, Air Jordan also used the same tongue to battle his mental demons on the court.

The Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft; and as they say, the rest is history. Fast forward a decade to the late 90s, and Jordan had become one of the best players in the world and a global icon of the sport of basketball. Owning to his popularity and stardom, MJ once sat down with the popular Playboy magazine for an iconic interview in 1997.

Michael Jordan ‘talked’ his way through the mental challenges of the court

The Chicago-based magazine primarily focused on men’s lifestyle and entertainment. Consequently, the sit-down with Jordan centered around hygiene, entertainment, and other lifestyle questions for ‘His Airness.’ In one of the segments of the interview, Jordan and the interviewer[Cook] got into the details of his trash-talking legends.

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Cook asked, “How much do you talk on the court?” Jordan’s reply also included a humble admission of his natural disposition on the court. He replied, “I am constantly trying to get an edge. There are a lot of mental challenges.” The Bulls superstar confessed to using talking or, let’s say, more trash-talking to clear his head and battle his mental demons while fighting on the court. He further explained how by talking constantly, he was able to get an edge. 

Apart from being one of the greatest players ever to play, Jordan was one of the fiercest trash-talkers of all time. His in-game dominance, combined with his sharp tongue, utterly humiliated his opponents. Moreover, unlike many, Jordan walked the talk. The 6x NBA champion always backed up his words with his play on the court.

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Who do you think can face off against Jordan in a trash-talking contest and come out on top? Let us know your pick in the comments below.