Michael Jordan Revealed Why Tiger Woods Refused to Play Basketball With Him

What happens when two of sports’ fiercest competitors talk about each other? For Michael Jordan, it meant a challenge. When asked about playing basketball against a young Tiger Woods, the NBA legend didn’t hold back.

Jordan explained that a simple but major difference in thier respective disciplines makes the difference. “He’s scared. I’ll knock his brains out,” Jordan said.

“I’m in a contact sport. He can’t hit me on the golf course. Basketball, I’d knock him out. But I could see his talents. That goes without question. He’s a good kid,” MJ told SLAM Magazine after the Bulls won the 1997 championship.

When Jordan made his comments, he was 34. A 21-year-old Woods was just one year into his professional career, dropping out of Stanford. Woods had hit stardom while he was still in college. While Jordan had already established himself as a megastar athlete, Tiger’s stocks were rapidly rising at the same time.