Source: John McCoy / Getty
Yup, it’s official, THE NBA IS BACK! Amidst the bevy of Wojbombs announcing players securing the bag and Zion Williamson’s launch being delayed, Michael Jordan is the talk of #NBATwitter. His Airness sat down with the Today Show’s Craig Melvin for a rare interview where he discussed giving back, his new tequila, and being a grandfather. That was all fine and dandy until the close of the discussion when Melvin asked him about the players he would select for a pickup game. Jordan stuck by his choices of Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen, Hakeem Olajuwon, James Worthy, and Magic Johnson. When Melvin brought up Steph Curry, MJ shut that down, pointing out that the Golden State Warrior is “not a Hall of Famer yet.”
“When I’m going in the trenches, I played against and with all these guys. I’m going with who I know,” Jordan told Melvin. The Today Show host followed that up, asking: “So, Steph Curry shouldn’t be offended when he watches this?” The Hornets’ owner replied, “I hope not. He’s still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet, though.”
A record scratch could be heard throughout social media. How is the two-time MVP, a three-time champion, and the best shooter the league has ever seen, not a Hall of Famer? Many believe if he retires today, he would be a first-ballot lock into the hall, and Jordan was just drunk off the tequila he is selling. But you could also say that he was joking, which it does seem plus MJ is technically right, Steph is not Hall of Famer “yet.”
That didn’t stop Twitter from reacting to the 56-year-old retired player who is considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan is legendary for ribbing players, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise at all to no one who has watched MJ. You can peep all of the reactions to MJ’s statement in the gallery below.
Photo: John McCoy / Getty