Four years after Michael Jordan put him on the wrong end of one of the most historic plays in NBA history, Bryon Russell found himself playing alongside his old foe. In 2002, the Utah Jazz shipped Russell to the Washington Wizards, where he became Jordan’s backup. As expected, MJ and Bryon’s reunion was worth witnessing, and former Wizards center Brendan Haywood got a front-seat view of it.
According to Haywood, “His Airness” never failed to haunt B Russ with the nightmares of their past rivalry. To this day, “Baby Huey” still vividly recalls how “Mr. Air” bullied Russell every team practice session.
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As Haywood described it, the atmosphere was always like “His Airness” and Russell were still matching up against each other in the 1998 Finals. Looking back at those days, Haywood considers it an incredible display of Jordan’s greatness and savage trash-talking at the expense of Russell.
“My second year, Byron Russell was on our team, and they had a little rivalry,” Brendan told Boardroom last year, recalling his time with Jordan in Washington. “B Russ used to guard him in practice, and I just remember Mike consistently going at him day after day.”
“[Jordan] He was approaching practice like B Russ is still playing for the Utah Jazz, and it’s Game 6,” he thrillingly remembered. “To see that every single day? The phenomenal footwork, the trash talk? He told B Russ, “We’re gonna start calling you ‘The Human Highlight Reel.’ Not because you have any highlights of your own, but because you’re in all of mine.” That was just consistent.”
Haywood argues that Wizards’ MJ was also a great
At the time, Haywood had just been promoted to the starting lineup. At 23 years old, he knew he had a rare opportunity to witness the GOAT work his magic right before his eyes.
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Though part of him felt sorry for Russell whenever Jordan torched him, “Baby Huey” was admittedly entertained deep down. He understood that what he was seeing in front of him was something not all NBA newcomers get to enjoy.
As he reflected on his short but memorable stint with Jordan in the Nation’s Capital, Haywood couldn’t help but rave about his fellow University of North Carolina alum. For Brendan, people may be quick to criticize MJ’s run with the Wizards, but based on what he had seen during team practice sessions, it was still vintage Mike, but only with less “Air.”
“He showed all the moves. Michael Jordan’s practices to me were sometimes better than the games because I got to see what went into it,” the 13-year NBA veteran recounted. “I got to see what made greatness tick.”
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“The Bulls Michael Jordan was better than the Wizards Michael Jordan,” he added. “But Wizards Michael Jordan was still really, really good. And I got to see every single day why he was that good.”
Bryon thinks he could beat MJ
Shortly after Jordan sparked renewed interest in his long-standing rivalry with Russell during his Hall of Fame induction speech, the former Jazz winger responded with a passionate retort. Even years after hanging up his sneakers, Russell refused to back down. In fact, he even challenged the six-time NBA champion to a 1-on-1 showdown.
For B Russ, it’s clear that MJ wouldn’t stop poking fun at him, and he would gladly settle their rivalry once and for all.
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“I’ll play his ass right now,” Russell fiercely said in response to Jordan’s dig at him. “This is a call-out for him to come play me. He can come out here in his private jet and come play. He’s got millions of dollars. He can pay for the jet. He can meet me at the Recreation Center in Calabasas. We can have Mark Jackson do the commentating. We can have Mitch Richmond do the officiating. We can put it on TV and see if Michael’s still got it. I keep my basketball shorts on.”
Though the 1-on-1 match never came to fruition, Russell felt good about being able to challenge the GOAT. In fact, Bryon even claimed that Jordan “chickened out.”
MJ and Bryon have yet to bury the hatchet
In 2020, Jordan’s greatness was relived through ESPN’s docuseries, “The Last Dance.” The show included some of MJ’s toughest rivals, except the notable Jazz players of the ’90s, including Russell.
During a mini presser, B Russ broke his silence and addressed the issue. According to Russell, he knew the documentary would be about glorifying Jordan’s legacy, and he didn’t want to ruin it as he evidently didn’t have anything good to say about Mike.
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Truth be told, Russell was not as great and legendary as some of Jordan’s most famous NBA rivals. However, the magnitude of their Finals duels is still felt to this day, a clear indication that neither of them is willing to put their past behind them.