WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes was one of the best at what she did, but even she couldn't go toe-to-toe against Michael Jordan in his prime.
Years ago, in a packed gym one random afternoon, ESPN film crews captured Swoopes playing a friendly game of 1-on-1 with MJ himself. And while she couldn't grab a win on the court, she did beam with excitement as she trash-talked Jordan after the match.
Of course, MJ is the greatest basketball player ever. He's hard enough to beat when you've got a full team behind your back, but nearly impossible to defeat alone, even when he challenged LeBron James back in 2013.
During that summer, [LeBron] he met Michael Jordan at the Heat facilities, with Pat Riley arranging a meeting between the two legends. A 50-year-old Jordan would challenge prime LeBron to a 1-on-1 game that a lot of people would have loved to watch. Talking about that incredible duel, His Airness didn't mince words, and true to his style, enjoyed the sweet taste of his victory against LeBron.
"LeBron came in there not knowing I was about to challenge him. When he saw me with Pat [Riley], he was surprised. I congratulated him for the championship, but explained that I wasn't there just to be nice. After a couple of words, we agreed to play a little pickup game. I tried to teach him some manners and decided he wasn't going to go to five points. The game was over and I easily beat him. Final score 21-3. I dominated him even though I was 50 years old. That day, he learned a big lesson and who the real GOAT is," the six-time NBA champion stated.
It's impossible to corroborate that story now, but it's really not that hard to believe. Jordan has almost no weaknesses on the court and has many different ways of being his opponents.
So, credit to Swoopes for hanging in there with Jordan and even giving him some lip after it was all said and done. It takes some guts to stand up to Michael Jordan.
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