During a game, very few players were able to truly get under Michael Jordan‘s skin. Most stayed away from upsetting the Bulls superstar in order to spare themselves his wrath. Sidney Moncrief, on the other hand, was in the minority and enjoyed bothering the six-time NBA champion and having to play defense against him.
In a humorous anecdote, the Hall of Famer told Bo Mattingly on The Hod Pod about facing Jordan and annoying him with his sloppy playmaking. During a Bulls-Hawks game in 1991, Moncrief assumed the mantle of guarding the five-time MVP during the second half.
Off the ball, the veteran stuck by the superstar, shoving, elbowing, and tugging his jersey in frustration, all without the referees seeing. Jordan preferred to wait on his defender’s weak side before bursting off the dribble and driving to the rim, which was something Moncrief had observed in his game.
Michael Jordan’s reprimanding of Sidney
Michael Jordan was enraged when the Hawks guard lingered over the Bulls legend, making sure he couldn’t execute his go-to play. Jordan finally told Moncrief how much he annoyed him, and then he gave him a very funny jab. The Hawks legend said :
“[Jordan] said, ‘Hey, old man. If you have to grab and hold, maybe you shouldn’t have your a*s out here.’ My comeback to Michael was, ‘Okay. One day you’ll get old.’ He had the greatest comeback. He said, ‘Yeah, but I won’t have my a*s here playing basketball.’”
Knowing that the famous guard was merely making light of his antics, Moncrief laughed off the taunt. Jordan respected the two-time Defensive Player of the Year despite his frustration.
