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Michael Jordan Once Was Savagely Trash Talked After A Rival 'Cooked' Him: "You Can't Even Guard Me, F**k Outta My Face"

Originally posted on Fadeaway World | By Divij Kulkarni | Last updated 1/7/23

A rival once dropped 39 points on Michael Jordan and then talked trash to him after MJ had to switch off of him on defense.

Michael Jordan's stories generally don't involve anything other than him destroying some or the other opponent. MJ is the GOAT for a reason, and during his career, he torched just about every franchise in the NBA multiple times. During the 90s, his Chicago Bulls teams were utterly dominant, never even needing to go to 7 games in an NBA Finals en route to 6 championships.

But, as any NBA star will tell you, playing in the league for a long time means there will be off nights. And as much as MJ's poorer games are forgotten thanks to his stellar achievements, even he was torched from time to time. Michael Jordan was one of the greatest defenders ever, along with being an elite scorer, but there were times even he had a rival drop a lot of points on his head.

Miami Heat Player Rex Chapman Put Up 39 Points While Being Guarded By Michael Jordan And Then Let Him Hear About It

Rex Chapman is a forgotten name in NBA lore, but he had a solid 12-year NBA career, mostly in the 90s. He averaged more than 10 points per game in nearly every season he was in the league and was on some great teams. In 1996, he was playing for the Miami Heat when he went up against the legendary Bulls. And not only did he 'cook' Michael Jordan, but he also talked trash to him as well while doing it.

“You can’t even guard me, f*** outta my face, you better switch off.”

Kevin Garnett learned the hard way that talking trash to Michael Jordan was not a good idea. However, not only did Chapman do it, but he scored 39 points in the process and got the win against MJ as well. This was the most legendary season of the Chicago Bulls, though, so it's safe to say that Jordan had the last laugh overall.

This isn't the only time Michael Jordan was put in his place by a rival, Allen Iverson famously crossed him up as well. But none of these incidents diminish his greatness. What made His Airness so special was his ability to dominate harder than anyone else has in NBA history, so the odd poor showing is nothing more than a story for someone like Chapman to tell his grandchildren about one day.