Michael Jordan was a ruthless competitor on the court but that doesn't mean he didn't like having fun on the court. The fun comes differently to a player like MJ than any regular player, with MJ always betting on himself even on the court.
Jordan had a brief regular-season rivalry with guard, Steve Smith, when Smith was drafted into the NBA. Smith once revealed MJ counted his points backward during a game, setting a target of 40 points.
"One time, he started counting backward. He said something like, '38' and I didn't get it, Reggie. He then said 36. Wait a minute, wait a minute, he's going backward. Now if he gets to zero, he's got 40! Me and Michael had a lot of talks, it was fun."
As a player, something like that happening has got to be demoralizing. Jordan is intimidating enough as is, but knowing he's counting backward to ensure he has 40 points on the night when you're guarding him has got to sting. MJ averaged 28.1 points against Smith in his career, facing each other 19 times.
Everyone likes to talk trash on the basketball court but very few players can consistently back up what they can say. Dillon Brooks wrote cheques with his mouth that he couldn't cash, but Jordan ensured he always got the last laugh. It doesn't even have to be with words, as Dikembe Mutombo found out when MJ finger-wagged after dunking on him.
Jordan was a man who would trash-talk his own kids, which goes to show how he used words as effectively as he used his fadeaway. He would also sing while coming down the court against opponents, effectively playing mind games at all times. It may be unnecessary and excessive but trash-talk elevated MJ just as much as his vertical did.
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