'My whole philosophy of playing Jordan was to talk golf' - Dan Majerle shares his game plan for guarding Michael Jordan

No player in NBA history put fear deeper into the hearts of his opponents than the great Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls legend's competitive fire burned so bright that foes never dared to look at him, much less engage in friendly banter. However, there was one player who found a workaround to escape MJ's wrath: three-time All-Star Dan Majerle.

Majerle was an integral part of the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat squads that battled Jordan and the Bulls in the 1990s, which meant he crossed paths with the 6'6" wingman from Wilmington, North Carolina, on numerous occasions, including the 1993 NBA Finals. While other players tried various tactics to try and get "Air Jordan" off his game, "Thunder Dan" had a different, friendlier approach.

Chit-chat about golf

Mike wasn't just an avid golfer; he was a passionate one. There are countless stories of him spending the day on the greens and then spending the night dominating his opponent on the floor. Dan knew this and took advantage.

"My whole philosophy of playing Jordan was to talk golf—that's all I did. I was like, 'Hey Mike, how's the game? What kind of ball you're playing? What's your driver?'" Majerle revealed on GOLF's Subpar.

The 6'6" sharpshooter from Central Michigan University disclosed that it was his way of keeping Jordan in check, explaining that if the explosive wingman's mind was on something other than their matchup, he might not have that big a scoring night.

"My thing is, I'm just trying to keep him mellow, so maybe he'll give me 35," Majerle said. "Because if I piss him off, he's going to give me 55. So I'm just talking golf."

The greatest player in the world

As mentioned, Jordan and Majerle faced off against one another on the NBA's biggest stage in 1993. A two-time member of the league's All-Defensive Team, Dan drew the unenviable task of defending Mike. As shown in the documentary series "The Last Dance," MJ took this personally and responded accordingly.

"You think he's a great defensive player? OK, fine," Jordan said. "I'm going to show you he's not."

Jordan then averaged a remarkable 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game as the Bulls defeated the Suns in six games. Michael's performances were enough to convince Majerle of his unparalleled greatness.

"He is the greatest player in the world. That guy was so great, not only offensively but defensively. If he wanted to score on you, he's going to score on you. If he didn't want you to score, you weren't scoring," Dan stated.

When Jordan got going, there was little anyone could do to slow him down—well, except maybe when talking golf.