When Michael Jordan was gearing up for his NBA return in 1995, he paid the University of North Carolina a few visits. It was also part of his regimen to get back in shape, so MJ practiced with some of the Tar Heels at the time.
Once, His Airness decided to play 1-on-1 with anybody who wanted to see how they would fare against the Chicago Bulls star. At the time, Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse were the stars of the Tar Heels. Eager to prove he was on MJ’s level, Stack faced Jordan. On the other hand, Sheed went straight to the locker room like it was just another day at the office.
According to the account of UNC assistant coach Dave Hanners in 2013 via Grantland , Wallace barely acknowledged Jordan’s presence.
“Rasheed said he wasn’t playing. And it’s not that he’s not a competitor or anything,” Hanners said. “He didn’t want to give Michael the satisfaction. But Jerry was up there playing until they couldn’t play anymore. Michael won them all. It’s just the difference in the two. Jerry, I don’t know if it was the ego or not, but he wanted to prove to Michael that he was as good as him. Rasheed knew he wasn’t and didn’t care one way or the other.”