A player perceived by many as the most legendary all-time player, Michael Jordan is often the subject of astonishing anecdotes. One of his former adversaries thus revealed the episode during which His Airness asked him… to undress in front of his door.

NBA legend Michael Jordan

Given his aura and his exploits on the NBA floors, he left an indelible memory for all those he met there. Michael Jordan even haunts the minds of some of the opponents he long terrorized during his career. Others, on the other hand, remember more surprising stories about him, but which bear witness to the full-fledged character he embodied in the league.

Tim Thomas’ crazy anecdote about Michael Jordan

The ultimate competitor, Michael Jordan wasn’t really used to spending a lot of time with his rivals away from the field. And even less to invite them to his house during the offseason. However, this is the privilege that Tim Thomas would have received at the end of the 1997-98 season. In an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, he recounts this episode, which was confusing to say the least:
I remember after my rookie season, I received an invitation to go to Chicago to spend some time with Scottie (Pippen). And I don’t remember if it was Scottie’s or MJ’s, but there was a training camp there, so a lot of NBA players went there. So, I went there a week before and one day, Scottie took me to MJ’s house. There was the whole Bulls team preparing there.
 

They didn’t care that I was there because I was still young, I wasn’t likely to stop their dynasty or anything at that point. But at the time, I was an Adidas athlete, so I was dressed entirely in Adidas gear. So, when I arrived at Jordan’s house, he asked me to take off my clothes and only wear Nike! Right at the door!

At the time having owned his own brand for a long time, Jordan nonetheless remained affiliated with Nike, to whom he continues to have unfailing loyalty. Therefore, there is no question of him letting a player from the enemy company, namely Adidas, into his home. Thomas would have discovered this the hard way and would have been forced to change his outfit to enter the home of His Airness. Hello reception.

The anecdote does not stop there, however, since MJ’s obsession with equipment manufacturers even pushed him… not to bring clothes from the three-stripe brand into his home. And Thomas concludes:
The funny thing is that when I finally left, all my Adidas clothes were gathered in a bag, but outside! He didn’t even want to leave them inside the house.
More than loyal to Nike, Michael Jordan would have refused to let Tim Thomas walk through his front door wearing an Adidas outfit. It remains to be seen whether this was simply a hazing of a young rookie, or a well-established rule at MJ.