Jamal Crawford Talks About Michael Jordan 'Fuming' After Losing a Pickup Game

Michael Jordan's competitive nature is legendary, so it's not a surprise that he didn't take to losing a pickup basketball game very well. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Roderick Boone, Jamal Crawford recalled a time when Jordan was "fuming" about a defeat he suffered one time:

"So to rewind it a little bit, when we started playing (pickup games) together, we never lost. And when I say we never lost, it's not like that day they won four games and we won three. We never lost a single game within that day. If we played eight games, we never lost that day. Not once, right? So I remember one day it became a thing like, "Hey, we are not losing together." And I remember one day I got there late because I had to work out with the Bulls first. You know, when you are a young player you've got to work out with your team and then go do whatever you've got to do afterwards.

"So I work out with the Bulls first, and I had got down there and he had lost. I remember he was so mad, he was sitting in the corner by himself. He was fuming. Fuming! Like, it hurt."

Crawford added that Jordan subsequently refused to play pickup until Crawford was available: "We never lost."

In addition to a successful 19-year NBA career, one of Crawford's greatest claims to fame is portraying a young version of Jordan in a Gatorade commercial. 

Crawford noted he became friends with Jordan during his rookie season in 2000-01 with the Chicago Bulls, and they started playing pickup games regularly. 

There is no shortage of stories about how much Jordan wanted to win at everything he did, whether it was playing in the NBA Finals or a pickup game in an empty gym. His Airness even collected $500 on the golf course in a side bet with a fan that he would hit the green. 

That competitive fire certainly worked for Jordan during his playing career. He was named NBA Finals MVP for all six championships he won with the Bulls, won the NBA scoring title 10 times, MVP award five times and is widely regarded as the best basketball player ever.