John Calipari Shares A Michael Jordan 'Took It Personally' Story: 'Kerry Ain't Scoring Again'

The game that Calipari was referring to took place on Dec. 23, 1996, at the United Center. Kerry Kittles, who had been selected with the eighth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, got off to a red-hot start.

As Calipari stated, Kittles had 17 points in the first quarter, nearly outscoring the Bulls by himself. The rookie went a perfect 7-7 from the field and 3-3 from beyond the arc in the period to help the Nets jump out to a 32-18 lead.

Unfortunately for Kittles, he had poked the bear that was Jordan by putting on that show. The youngster didn't even get to attempt a shot in the second quarter, and Calipari opted to play him just over five minutes in the period, presumably to save him.

Jordan wasn't going to let up, though. Kittles played the entire third quarter and only attempted one shot, which he missed. He had been completely taken out of the game.

While this was going on, the Bulls had managed to turn things around as well. They were up 87-66 entering the fourth quarter, and head coach Phil Jackson decided to pull his starters.

Kittles would put up five more shots in what was basically garbage time and made one of them. He finished the night with 19 points (8-13 FG), four rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block. 

Jordan, meanwhile, had 24 points (10-18 FG), three rebounds, and four assists. It wasn't his greatest showing offensively, but he still managed to stamp his authority on the contest on the defensive end.    

It speaks to Jordan's greatness that he was capable of having a big impact on both ends of the floor for much of his career. He made the All-Defensive First Team nine times and won the scoring title in each of those nine years, too. The two-way play is just one of the many reasons Jordan is still widely regarded as the greatest of all time.