Most players were intimidated whenever they faced Michael Jordan. Scott Burrell felt the same way, but the fear was present even when the two were on the same team.
In 1997, Burrell was traded to the Chicago Bulls. He was nervous about his first interaction with Jordan, having witnessed his brutality as his opponent. And as it turned out, the Bulls legend was no different with his teammates.
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“He comes at me the first day and says, ‘Hey, Scott Burrell,’ and the fact that a teammate called me out by my entire name showed that he didn’t know a damn thing about me and that I was in trouble,” Burrell told Andscape in 2020. “He said, ‘You thought you were good coming here because now you don’t have to face me four or five times a year, but now you have to face me every day.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, boy.’ That made me nervous.”
Burrell never tried to poke the bear
At 6’7″ and 220 pounds, Burrell was often tasked with defending Jordan during his time with the Charlotte Hornets. Every time they matched up, Burrell said he deliberately kept his mouth shut and only battled Jordan physically, never verbally.
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According to Burrell, talking trash with Jordan was the last thing he would ever want to do, given that he knew how ugly the consequences could be.
“Oh, no, no, no, I was way smarter than that,” Burrell said about engaging in a trash-talk duel with Jordan during games. “You really didn’t want to even look at him, because then he might interpret something that might set him off.”
Jordan and Burrell never got physical
Burrell was nowhere near Jordan skill-wise. However, the two seemed to have developed a little rivalry.
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Known for being laser-focused on dominating his opponents, Jordan picked up where he left off with Burrell, even when they were already teammates in Chicago. Every team practice was a nightmare for Burrell during his time with the Bulls, and it was all because of No. 23.
The two often found themselves in a heated verbal exchange. Despite that, Burrell said things never got physical between him and Jordan during those times.
“No, it was never physical,” Burrell said in a separate interview. “Jordan is smaller than me, he wouldn’t mess with me, I’m just joking; I’m just teasing. That was a strong man for his size, just saying. But, no, it was always verbal. It was never physical.”
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Burrell appeared in 80 games for the 1997-98 Bulls, averaging 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. The team finished the regular season with a 62-20 record and ultimately captured its sixth NBA championship, largely thanks to Jordan, who averaged a league-best 28.7 points per game along with 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Burrell’s numbers might not have jumped off the stat sheet, but he was still an important part of the team’s success that year. Although he only played for the Bulls for one year — he spent two years with the New Jersey Nets after that and retired with the Hornets in 2001 — his time with the team was filled with memorable moments. Almost all of them have a common denominator: a guy wearing No. 23 who displayed an unmatched greatness on the court.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.