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Reggie Miller talked trash to Michael Jordan once and it backfired

By CM Towle

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Former Indiana Pacers guard and NBA great Reggie Miller told Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday how he once talked trash to Michael Jordan.

If there was one thing Reggie Miller was known for, other than his propensity for 3-pointers, it was talking trash. He was definitely one of the more prolific trash talkers in the NBA in his time. However, he apparently learned pretty early on that he couldn’t trash talk a certain Michael Jordan. According to a story by SI.com, Miller dropped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to relay his story of trying to trash talk Jordan when he (Miller) was a rookie.

The game was a preseason game in 1987 between the Pacers and the Bulls. Miller was a first round draft pick of the Pacers in 1987. According to Miller’s story, Jordan wasn’t really living up to his hype in the game, so Miller felt free to tell him about it. He said he wasn’t impressed and that he was coming for Jordan.

Well, Jordan showed Miller what was up by exploding for 40 points in the second half. Then the story gets really interesting as Miller relays what Jordan said to him after.

“You never talk to Black Jesus like that.”

Apparently this was a common thing for Jordan, so ok then.

Miller said that from his perspective, Jordan was a veteran and not trying very hard during this particular preseason game. So when Miller outscored him in the first half of the game, he figured he’d arrived and wanted to let Jordan know. His teammate at the time, Chuck Person apparently also got in on the fun, telling Miller that he was “out there killing him (Jordan)” and made references to Jordan’s (theoretical) ability to walk on water. Black Jesus, remember.

At the half, Miller had 10 points, while Jordan had two. At the end of the game, Jordan had 44 and Miller had 12. If there was any doubt on how much of a beating it really was.

The other interesting story Miller shared was related to Spike Lee, with whom he famously had a long-standing feud during his playing days. Something to do with a Mike Tyson prison visit after losing a bet to Lee. Only a Michael Jordan Black Jesus story could make that less interesting.

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