Michael Jordan was already in his late 40s when he took over as the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010. As the boss, MJ regularly visited the team's training facility, and sometimes, he even laced up to join the scrimmages.
According to former Bobcats guard Gerald Henderson, Jordan once teamed up with the team's reserves and took on the starters - Stephen Jackson , Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, and Boris Diaw. To everybody's surprise, the then-47-year-old legend single-handedly torched the starting squad and lifted the reserves to victory with a vintage MJ game-winning shot.
After the game, Henderson said Jackson was still whining about a foul during a previous play. This prompted Jordan to put Stak in his place in typical "His Airness" fashion.
"He jumped on our second team… He looked like prime Michael Jordan, without the quickness and the jumping ability. But it was just all MJ work. Talking smack the whole time. He kept going back and forth with Stephen Jackson," Henderson told The Athletic last year.
"Jack, at that time, was like a borderline All-Star. He had a really good season the season before, and I think in the media, he was talking about how he should have been an All-Star. I guess Jack went to the basket and throws up a shot and the coaches didn't call a foul. Jack yells out, 'Yo, that's a foul,' this and that," he continued.
"MJ comes down and hits the game-winner. Game's over and Jack is still talking, 'that's a foul.' Jordan goes, 'The MFer ain't never been an All-Star but wants all the All-Star calls.' We was like, 'Oh, s–t. Damn, that was a little harsh,'" he added.
MJ once helped the Bobcats win games
Henderson's account wasn't the first and only time Jordan thumped the Bobcats players, specifically Jackson, in a scrimmage. To this day, former Bobcats forward Eduardo Najera still vividly recalls the day the six-time NBA champion brought in his former Chicago Bulls teammate Charles Oakley to teach them a lesson.
Najera remembered how Jordan dominated the game while talking trash with Jackson . It eventually came down to a 1-on-1 match between MJ and Stephen in which the 48-year-old unsurprisingly won.
Looking back, Najera concluded that it was an unforgettable experience. More importantly, Jordan boosted their confidence and competitive spirit during that scrimmage, resulting in a cohesive unit and significantly improved performance during the actual game.
"We were going through a rough patch. Michael decided to jump in and bring Charles Oakley on his team. Stephen Jackson, being Stephen Jackson, started talking trash. Jackson said, 'That was the past, this is now, and I will bust your a*s.' Michael got furious, trash-talking and killing him and all of us, telling Stephen Jackson, 'How does the leather taste in your mouth' after every shot," Eduardo once shared .
"Then it became a 1-on-1. It did not end up well for Stephen Jackson. Michael won. It was incredible. It was good for the team, and we snapped out of the losing streak we had," he added.
MJ was itching to return at 50
Jordan hated losing as much as he loved winning, and he clearly did everything he could to help the Bobcats win games during his tenure as the team's owner. However, it appears that there was more to it than just wanting his team to win.
A few years later, MJ celebrated his 50th birthday and confided that he had been dying to make another NBA return at age 50 . Despite having hung up his sneakers a decade ago, "His Airness" conveyed a persistent yearning to experience the thrill of the game once more.
Though it was no longer possible for Jordan to return for the fourth time, this longing revealed why he was bringing his A-game with him every time he joined the Bobcats in scrimmages. Moreover, it speaks volumes about his extreme competitiveness and timeless passion for the game.
Related: "The fans don't understand it, they don't wanna understand it" - Scottie Pippen shares what was the lowest point in his career
MJ always knows how to win
In retrospect, the Bobcats, which later returned to their old team name, Hornets, did not really accomplish much under Jordan's leadership. Some were quick to criticize his front-office skills, but experts believed the NBA icon still won in the end when he decided to sell the franchise for a whopping $3 billion, having bought it for only $275 million back in 2010.
All told, this goes to show that Jordan has the ability to always win, be it in business or in random scrimmages with his players. It may not look as sexy or amusing as it used to be when he was still in his prime, but one way or another, MJ gets the results he wants.
As for Jackson and the rest of the former Bobcats players, it's safe to say they learned a lot from Jordan throughout that stretch.
Related: Stephen Jackson on Michael Jordan's player motivation approach - "He grabbed the ball and dunked one on the way out"
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