JORDAN MENTALITY
I played against Michael Jordan at golf and annoyed him – he scored 63 points against us in the NBA the next night
Danny Ainge was on the sports podcast to speak about Bill Walton, who died Monday
AN NBA icon revealed that a game of golf annoyed Michael Jordan so much that it spurred the Chicago Bulls legend on to a record-breaking 63-point performance.
Former Boston Celtics two-time champion player Danny Ainge shared the story on Tuesday on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast.
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Ainge appeared on the podcast alongside Pardon My Take's personalities Dan "Big Cat" Katz and Eric Sollenberger, known as PFT Commenter, to speak about basketball legend Bill Walton, who died Monday at the age of 71 due to cancer.
Both were teammates with the Celtics in the 1986 season when the Celtics won the NBA title.
During the show, Ainge told the story about Jordan during the 1986 first-round series between his Celtics and the Bulls.
After Game 1, in which he scored 49 points and lost, Jordan golfed with then-shooting guard Ainge and author Mark Vancil.
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Jordan couldn't beat Ainge on the green so he decided to make up for it on the court then next night.
At Game 2, he scored a still-standing playoff-record 63 points.
"I got him a little frustrated ... He had 63 on us the next night," Ainge said.
"I had to guard him for a share of that. My kids have abused me on that one and we've gone back and watched film. I think I gave up 12 of the 63 [points]."
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The Celtics still were able to beat the Bulls 135-131 in overtime of Game 2.
Ainge also noted that Walton fouled out of the game because of Jordan, but also due to the shooting guard's tendency on defense.
"He never forgave me because I switched a lot [on defense]," Ainge said.
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While the Celtics won the championship that season, Jordan's performance in his second career season would only be the beginning of his dominating play on the court.
Jordan won six NBA titles, five MVPs, and made the All-Star team 14 times, among many other accolades.
He's best known for his remarkable career as a basketball player, but that was not the only sport that he played.
The North Carolina product Jordan had a stint as a minor-league baseball player.
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And he was and continues to be an avid golfer.
As for Ainge, he won championships as a player with the Celtics in the 1984 and 1986 seasons and made the All-Star team in 1988.
After his 14 years of playing in the NBA, he was a head coach for the Phoenix Suns before working for the Celtics in the front office.
For 18 years, Ainge was the general manager for the Celtics.
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He helped the team win the championship in 2008 and retired in 2021.
Ainge currently serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz.