Don’t snicker when Michael Jordan says he’s trying to get back down to his playing weight. Whether he comes back to the NBA or not, Jordan still can beat you in one-on-one … unless you’re better than the No. 2 pick in the draft.
Charlotte Bobcats rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said Friday in Houston that 49-year-old Jordan beat him a one-on-one game. Jordan turns 50 Sunday, while Kidd-Gilchrist is seven months away from turning 20.
“It was hard for me,” Kidd-Gilchrist said before playing in the Rising Stars Challenge rookie-sophomore game Friday night. “I lost. He’s the greatest man that ever played the game.
“Oh, yeah. He’s good.”
This might be easier to comprehend if Jordan had any clear physical edges on Kidd-Gilchrist. But at 6-7, 232 pounds, the rookie out of Kentucky has the exact size and athleticism of the types of players who guarded 6-6 Jordan night-in, night-out for almost two decades in the NBA.
Kidd-Gilchrist hasn’t had a great rookie season, averaging 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.
Maybe the extra weight helped Jordan push around the rookie, though. He had a phenomenal post-up game back in the day.
Or maybe Kidd-Gilchrist went easy on his boss, though he told CSN Houston that he didn’t.
Either way, 49-year-olds are not supposed to beat 19-year-olds in this game. But Jordan plays by his own rules.
Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports
