Hornets' Miles Bridges Challenges Michael Jordan 1-on-1 After Seeing 2015 Quote
May 17, 2020
Five years ago, Michael Jordan said he could still beat Hornets players at one-on-one.
Miles Bridges is ready to see if he can back up that talk in the year 2020. The Hornets forward tweeted out a challenge to His Airness early Sunday:
MJ is 57 years old and hasn't played competitive basketball in more than 15 years. Bridges is a 22-year-old who can leap out of the gym. If BridgesĀ couldn't beat Jordan at one-on-one at this moment, it would say far more about him than it would the greatest shooting guard of all time.
We know Jordan hasn't always been above beating down his players on the floor. Former Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist revealed MJ beat him in one-on-one during his rookie season.
āHe did play me 1-on-1 one time,ā Kidd-Gilchrist toldĀ CSN HoustonĀ (via NBC Sports) in 2013. āAnd it was hard for me ⦠I lost. I lost to a 50-year-old guy. Thatās my boss, though. Heās the best player to play the game.ā
At the time, Jordan was just shy of his 50th birthday. There remains a significant difference between a 49-year-old body and a 57-year-old body, which may be the reason Jordan has stopped playing against his players.
If we've learned anything fromĀ The Last Dance, it's that MJ doesn't gamble in head-to-head competition unless he thinks he has a significant advantage. As he quickly approaches age 60, he probably realizes his time on the court is finished.Ā