Jerry Stackhouse, like everyone else, had a hard time trying to check Michael Jordan on the court.
Legend has it—according to former NBAer Roshown McLeod, anywhow—that Mike used to belt out Anita Baker songs while torching Stack and the Philadelphia Sixers in the mid-to-late ’90s.
Stackhouse, who is now a D-League coach, says the story is pure fabrication.
Anyhow, here’s a fun look back at MJ dropping a season-high 48 points during the Chicago Bulls’ historic 1995-96 campaign in response to Stackhouse’s ill-advised offseason yapping.
Per The Chicago Tribune:
Jordan scored a season-high 48 points, shooting 18 of 28 from the field. And with Jordan, Scottie Pippen (20 points, 10 assists) and Ron Harper (11 points) taking turns dogging him, Stackhouse ended up with just 13 points. He was 4 of 11 from the field.
“I know he said a lot of stuff, but that was a motivational factor from a competitive standpoint,” Jordan said of Stackhouse’s comments that not too many people could stop him. “I really didn’t want to make it ‘one on one’ or ‘mano a mano.’ I did all my work within the concept of the team. He had a lot of pressure on himself.”
Pippen thought Jordan could have had 60 points if he hadn’t sat out much of the fourth quarter.
“If I could have had 40, I know he would have scored 60,” Pippen said with a laugh.
