Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Byron Scott had a career that overlapped heavily with Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s.
They played in the same NBA era and both enjoyed their fair share of success. While Scott never earned any major accolades, he was a starter on three Lakers title teams in the 1980s. Jordan, meanwhile, assembled a career that features countless accolades and six NBA championships, leading to discussions about him being the greatest player of all time (G.O.A.T.).
Scott recently looked back on facing Jordan in the NBA. The retired Lakers guard shared that while he never feared anyone in the league, he always made sure to avoid getting under Jordan’s skin.
“The dude was a man playing against boys, damn near,” Scott said of Jordan. “I mean, he was one of those guys — you know, I didn’t fear anybody, but when I played against him, I said, ‘I ain’t pissing him off.’ … That’s the only guy I would look at and say, ‘I ain’t gon’ piss him off.’ He hit a shot, it’d be, ‘Good shot. Good shot, M.J.’
“I said, ‘I ain’t pissing him off’ ’cause I’ve seen him go for 40, 50 like it ain’t nothing ’cause a guy’s being aggressive or trying to be overly physical with him. I said, ‘I ain’t pissing him off. Everybody else, I don’t give a s—, but him, Black Jesus, I ain’t messing with him like that.'”
Between the regular season and playoffs, Scott and Jordan had 23 head-to-head matchups in the NBA. They both got their jabs in, but Jordan won the battle, finishing his career with a 14-9 record against Scott.
In the 1991 NBA Finals, Jordan’s Bulls took on Scott’s Lakers. At the time, Scott was already a three-time champion, but Jordan was still without a ring in the NBA. That changed after the series, with the Bulls winning it in five games to give Jordan his first title.
As the story goes, Jordan and the Bulls went on to win the NBA Finals again in 1992 and 1993, giving them a three-peat. Later in the 1990s, they put together another three-peat, giving Chicago one of the most legendary dynasties in the history of sports.
It’s often said that players feared Jordan during his playing days, and while Scott might not have felt that way precisely, he clearly understood that it was in his best interest to avoid irritating the superstar.
Jordan is still mentioned in the G.O.A.T. debate today and may be the most popular pick for the honor. Lakers fans may have some mixed feelings about that, as L.A. has had so many great players over the years that some feel are also worthy of consideration.
