During some downtime at last week’s McDonald’s All-American Game, 8 players were asked who would win a game of 1 on 1 between them and Michael Jordan in his prime. Their answers are surprising.
Courtesy of USA Today, here’s how each player breaks down the match-up and predicts the eventual outcome.
Nigel Williams-Goss, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), PG
Signed to: Washington
The Score: 11-0
The Victor: Jordan
The Why: “Are you serious? Maaaaaan, it’s M.J. I’m not gonna disrespect him and say I’d get a bucket. I think if I had ball first I’d try and get him off-balance and take a quick jumper and hope it went in. You’ve gotta remember, Jordan was the Defensive Player of the Year. He doesn’t have to let me score, and I don’t think he would because he was so competitive.”Kennedy Meeks, West Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.), C
Signed to: North Carolina
The Score: 11-6
The Victor: Jordan
The Why: “Well, I’m gonna just keep it real, he’s gonna win. I’d get ball first and he’d sleep on my jumper because I’m a big guy. So I’d go on a quick 3-0 run off top. The other points would come from me backing him down. But then he’d get the ball and it’d be a wrap. I mean not 11 straight, but he’d win after that. I gotta keep it real!”Matt Jones, DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas), SG
Signed to: Duke
The Score: 11-5
The Victor: Jones
The Why: “Well, I’m feeling a little generous today, so I think he’d get his five points. This is how it would go: I’d get ball first, then I’d score the first few baskets because he’d definitely be sleeping on me. Then I’d go to my old-man game and take it to the hole every time. No matter how small the foul was I’d call ball every time until I made it. So it’s gonna be a long grind-it-out win. But I’d win.”Dakari Johnson, Montverde (Montverde, Fla.), C
Signed to: Kentucky
The Score: 11-10
The Victor: Johnson
The Why: “I’m taking him to the post every time. He’d stop me a couple of times, but I’d just keep going back down there. I’d just contest his jump shots and pray that he’d miss. I think in the end, I’d get him though. I’m too big down there.”Wayne Selden, Tilton (Tilton, N.H.), SG
Signed to: Kansas
The Score: 11-2
The Victor: Jordan
The Why: “In his prime? Man, I’d get one point going to the rack, then he’d stopped that the next time so I’d have to go to a quick pull-up jumper and hope that it goes in. So yeah that’s two points. That’s it. I mean, that’s Jordan in his prime. I’m not doing more than that. Nah!”Andrew Harrison, Travis (Richmond, Texas), PG
Signed to: Kentucky
The Score: 11-7
The Victor: Harrison
The Why: “I think he’d get a couple buckets here and there, but then I’d start to lock him down and give him buckets. Yeah, I think I’d get him.”Chris Walker, Holmes County (Bonifay, Fla.), PF
Signed to: Florida
The Score: 11-7
The Victor: Jordan
The Why: “I think I’d hit a couple jumpers because he’d think because I’m 6-foot-10 I can’t shoot. I’d be like ‘Aight, Jordan sleep on me then, I’m just gonna hit these shots in your face.’ So when I start making them he’d cut that out and go ahead and win. It’s M.J.”Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Chester (Chester, Pa.), SF
Signed to: Arizona
The Score: 11-10
The Victor: Hollis-Jefferson
The Why: “Well, it will come down to the last possession. He’ll take the ball and get me with the move, then I’ll recover and block it off the glass. He thinks it’s a foul, but it’s really not. So we shoot for it to settle the bad call he made and I’d make the do-or-die shot. I get the ball back and I give him a bucket with heavy defensive pressure. Ball game.”
When I read a report like this I have to remember that these young men did not have the pleasure of watching Jordan live in his prime. They only know what they hear others talk about or see in videos. I know having confidence in your game and ability is vital as an athlete, but there is a difference between being confident and delusional. Have more respect for the GOAT young men…Oh, and I’d like to go on record saying there’s not a chance in hell any of these youngeons would beat Jordan in his prime.