NBA icon Michael Jordan felt like the smallest person in the world after punching Steve Kerr in the face.
Jordan and Kerr fought before the 1995-96 NBA season.
“I’m in the shower and I’m saying, ‘I just beat up the littlest guy on the fu**ing court.’ And I felt about this small,” Jordan said in The Last Dance documentary. “So when I get in the car, I called back to the Berto Center and said please give me Steve Kerr’s number. I called Steve and I apologized.”
Kerr said standing up to Jordan was the best thing he ever did.
Kerr also revealed that his relationship with Jordan dramatically improved after the punch.
“We talked it out, and it was probably, in a weird way, the best thing that I ever did, was stand up for myself with him because he tested everybody he played with, and I stood up to him,” Kerr said in The Last Dance. “From that point on, our relationship dramatically improved and our trust in each other, everything. It was like, ‘All right, we got that out of the way. We’re going to war together.’”
Not only did Jordan and Kerr win three straight NBA championships together in 1996, 1997 and 1998, but they also hooked up for one of the biggest plays in NBA Finals history.
Kerr hit the game-winning shot against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals off a nice pass from Jordan. Jordan told Kerr to be ready during the timeout before the Bulls inbounded the ball since he knew he would get double-teamed.
It’s pretty fascinating how close Jordan and Kerr became after getting into a fight. It just goes to show that winning can solve a lot of problems in sports.
The Bulls went 191-40 when Jordan and Kerr were in the lineup together. That’s good for a stellar winning percentage of .827.
Kerr may not be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame like Jordan, but he won five championships with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs and is the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point percentage.
During his career, Kerr shot 45.4% from beyond the arc.
Jordan is first in NBA history in points per game, fourth in steals, fifth in field goals and second in player efficiency rating. He holds the NBA record for most points (63) scored in a playoff game.
Jordan has career averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He won five MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six championships, six Finals MVPs, 10 scoring titles and three steals titles.