It’s been well-documented that Michael Jordan used any edge, perceived or imaginary, to motivate himself as a player. As an executive, he didn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting him, either.
When Jordan was president of basketball operations for the Wizards during the 2000-01 season, he sometimes practiced with the team. Jordan ended up trading Laron Profit because Profit trash-talked him according to former Washington guard Richard Hamilton.
“We used to talk trash to M.J. all the time, but it was only certain things that I would say. And [Profit] would sometimes say a little bit of extra stuff that. … I wouldn’t go there.
“I remember one time, we were playing in practice, and Prof might’ve hit a shot on MJ, and he was running down court. ‘Yeah, you can’t guard me with them old-ass knees,'” Hamilton said on Showtime’s “All the Smoke.”
“M.J. was heated. He was heated to the point that when I went to my exit meeting, [Jordan] was like, ‘Your man, he outta here.'”
That offseason, Jordan dealt Profit to the Magic.
The following year, Jordan officially returned to the court to play two more seasons, reaching the All-Star game both years. As for Profit, he never played a game for the Magic, though he did return to the Wizards in 2004. He only averaged 3.3 points in a nondescript career.
The lesson: Talk trash to Jordan at your risk. It rarely, if ever, turns out well.