Smart Aleck Comment Once Led To Michael Jordan Embarrassing North Carolina Starters

Shandel Richardson | Oct 25, 2024

June 12, 1998; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan (23), right, goes up against Utah Jazz player Bryon Russell (3) in Game 5 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Anne Ryan-USA TODAY / Anne Ryan-USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The stories of Michael Jordan's competitiveness are legendary.

A new one recently resurfaced via longtime NBA writer Marc Spears, who works for Andscape. Spears told a story of how a North Carolina player disrespecting him led to Jordan embarrassing the Tar Heels starting lineup on the court.

It happened during Jordan's visit to his alma mater in the mid 1990s.

"Michael Jordan walks by one by one, player by player, shakes his hand and says, `What's your name,"' Spears said. "So Michael Jordan gets to him and shakes his hand and he goes, `What's your name? `Well, my name is Makhtar Ndiaye.' Makhtar asks Jordan, `What's your name?' Jordan kind of looks confused and says, `Michael."'

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It got worse. Ndiaye then took a shot at Jordan's claim as the best player in NBA history.

"Then Makhtar as Michael Jordan is walking away, he says, `By the way, Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest basketball player of all time," Spears said. "Michael looks at him, looks a little upset and just rushes out of the room. Jordan comes back in practice to play. He tells Dean Smith, `Look give me the worst guys and I'm play with the worst guys against your stars.' You had Michael Jordan with three walk-ons. He destroyed the first-team. He destroyed the second-team. Everybody was just passing the ball to Jordan. Jordan was trying to dunk on Makhtar the whole time. He did what he needed to do and then left."'

Jordan apparently never forgave Ndiaye because the incident lingered for several years.

"Years later, Makhtar Ndiaye and Antawn Jamison were at the Super Bowl in Miami trying to get into this high club and they couldn't get in," Spears said. "They just didn't care what celebrities you were unless you were on a super-high level. Michael Jordan comes out from a balcony and looks down. Makhtar sees him, `Mike, Mike, Mike, can you help us get in? Jordan looks down at him and goes, `Oh, now you remember my name, Africa?' And turns around and walks back into the club."'

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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