'Jordan's biggest talent is his heart; it's not his skills' - Karl Malone on Michael Jordan's biggest talent

Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Utah Jazz icon Karl Malone got to know Michael Jordan as a foe and a teammate. They faced each other several times in the NBA Finals and became teammates in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Louisiana native discovered Mike's real strength as a top basketball player in these instances. While most people would say that his greatest asset is his jumping ability or midrange mastery, the "Mailman" claims MJ's biggest asset is his mindset.

Jordan was not making friends on the court 

"Jordan, man, Jordan abuses the younger guys," Malone told the New York Times in 1996. "They're 'Ah, you're my friend.' Everybody wants to be his friend. But you've got to kick his rear end, man. And he knows the game he's playing a lot better than you know the game. Michael Jordan's biggest talent is his heart; it's not his skills. It's his competitive, ticked-off, 'You're never going to beat me, and if you do, you're not going to do it again' attitude. And we're playing in the NBA, where you've got to beat him four times."

Revenge was always on "Mr. Air's" mind during his playing days. As revealed in the sports documentary "The Last Dance," MJ took it personally when he lost the 1996-97 NBA MVP. Malone raising the MVP trophy was the biggest motivating factor for the "Black Cat" in their 1997 NBA Finals duel with the Jazz.

True to his word, the five-time MVP averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the 1997 NBA Finals. This was enough to power the Chicago Bulls to their fifth NBA Championship. Jordan was crowned NBA Finals MVP.

No ill feelings

While Mike took it personally, it didn't mean he hated Karl's guts. Rather, he saw the Jazz legend as one of the best contemporaries. Jordan was grateful that he played against someone who brought out the best in him.

"Because of the opinions of others," Jordan said. "They choose to give it to a guy who's been in the league just as long as I have been, just as consistent, and been on a team that's just as successful this year, I can't gripe with that, and you know, I can't have any jealousy or animosity towards Karl."

While Malone never won a ring, this does not diminish his stature as one of the best power forwards ever. Perhaps if he had another crack at Jordan in the NBA Finals, he would know how to outlast the Bulls legend, given his immense knowledge of Mike's psyche and tendencies.