Killer Vision
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Michael Jordan was not lying when he said he beat OJ Mayo badly at his basketball camp years ago.
According to Jordan, current Milwaukee Bucks player OJ Mayo attended his basketball camp as a high-schooler. Mayo was considered the top high-schooler in the country and a player who could make the jump straight to the NBA if the league hadn't changed its rules.
Mayo was feeling cocky and kept trash talking Jordan, so Jordan decided to send his campers to bed so he could play Mayo and teach the young player a lesson.
Here's Jordan's memory of the showdown:
"In front of my camp, he starts this thing: 'You can't guard me, you can't do this,'" Jordan said. "I've got my campers here, so obviously I can't really go where I want to go because of my camp, so I stop the camp, send the kids to bed, and we go back to playing and he starts this whole thing that, 'You can't guard me, you can't do this,' and finally I said, 'Look, you may be the best high school player, but I'm the best player in the world. From this point on, it’s a lesson.' And from that point on, it was a lesson.
"He never won a game. I posted him up. I did everything. If I could ever show you that film ... If you could ever ask him, ask him about the thing that happened at my camp."
Since the Bucks had just opened training camp, media members soon obliged M.J.'s request, leading to O.J. sharing:
"Well, I happened to be the only high school player there. It was mainly freshmen in college. And so [Jordan] came on the court and he guarded me, so I was like, "Man, he must think I'm ... not the strong link over here." I got it going a little bit, and obviously, it's any ballplayer's dream to play against Mike — I couldn't tell you how many times I did his move after the finals the next day in the rec center and stuff. I got a few buckets, and I think the campers knew I was the only high school kid, so they got rowdy a little bit and we got a little bit of jawing.
I think we played two games — I think we split one and one. It was a team game. And then he said, "OK, now let me handle my business," and he looked me in my face [...] He said, "I need all the campers and everybody to leave. Let's clear the gym." I said, "Oh, man."
We continued playing pickup and, you know, Mike was Mike. You know, he was jawing a little bit, and he was really getting into me defensively. He was backing me down and saying, "You better scream for Mama. Ma-ma. Ma-ma." Hit the famous fadeaway on me, and then I said, "OK, OK, you got it going." He said, "Hey, young fella, let me tell you something." He said, "You may be the best high school player in the world, but I'm the greatest ever. Don't you ever disrespect the great like that."
At the end of the day, people ask, "Why would you talk smack to the GOAT? Why would you talk smack to Mike?" At the end of the day, it's still basketball. You know, you definitely respect everything Mike's done for the game, but when you're a young buck and you get a chance to go at the top, I kind of had the mentality that I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. And, you know, Mike did what he had to do."
Here's a clip of their match up. Jordan was turning 44 and Mayo was 18 back then.
[video=youtube;goInA2sgWNs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goInA2sgWNs[/video]
Thoughts?
According to Jordan, current Milwaukee Bucks player OJ Mayo attended his basketball camp as a high-schooler. Mayo was considered the top high-schooler in the country and a player who could make the jump straight to the NBA if the league hadn't changed its rules.
Mayo was feeling cocky and kept trash talking Jordan, so Jordan decided to send his campers to bed so he could play Mayo and teach the young player a lesson.
Here's Jordan's memory of the showdown:
"In front of my camp, he starts this thing: 'You can't guard me, you can't do this,'" Jordan said. "I've got my campers here, so obviously I can't really go where I want to go because of my camp, so I stop the camp, send the kids to bed, and we go back to playing and he starts this whole thing that, 'You can't guard me, you can't do this,' and finally I said, 'Look, you may be the best high school player, but I'm the best player in the world. From this point on, it’s a lesson.' And from that point on, it was a lesson.
"He never won a game. I posted him up. I did everything. If I could ever show you that film ... If you could ever ask him, ask him about the thing that happened at my camp."
Since the Bucks had just opened training camp, media members soon obliged M.J.'s request, leading to O.J. sharing:
"Well, I happened to be the only high school player there. It was mainly freshmen in college. And so [Jordan] came on the court and he guarded me, so I was like, "Man, he must think I'm ... not the strong link over here." I got it going a little bit, and obviously, it's any ballplayer's dream to play against Mike — I couldn't tell you how many times I did his move after the finals the next day in the rec center and stuff. I got a few buckets, and I think the campers knew I was the only high school kid, so they got rowdy a little bit and we got a little bit of jawing.
I think we played two games — I think we split one and one. It was a team game. And then he said, "OK, now let me handle my business," and he looked me in my face [...] He said, "I need all the campers and everybody to leave. Let's clear the gym." I said, "Oh, man."
We continued playing pickup and, you know, Mike was Mike. You know, he was jawing a little bit, and he was really getting into me defensively. He was backing me down and saying, "You better scream for Mama. Ma-ma. Ma-ma." Hit the famous fadeaway on me, and then I said, "OK, OK, you got it going." He said, "Hey, young fella, let me tell you something." He said, "You may be the best high school player in the world, but I'm the greatest ever. Don't you ever disrespect the great like that."
At the end of the day, people ask, "Why would you talk smack to the GOAT? Why would you talk smack to Mike?" At the end of the day, it's still basketball. You know, you definitely respect everything Mike's done for the game, but when you're a young buck and you get a chance to go at the top, I kind of had the mentality that I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. And, you know, Mike did what he had to do."
Here's a clip of their match up. Jordan was turning 44 and Mayo was 18 back then.
[video=youtube;goInA2sgWNs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goInA2sgWNs[/video]
Thoughts?
