“He kicked our a—, literally kicked our a—” – Tim Hardaway says Michael Jordan walked into Warriors practice in ’94 and dominated everyone originally appeared on Basketball Network.
In the spring of 1994, as the NBA’s world carried on without him, Michael Jordan found his way to a private gym session in Oakland.
Advertisement
Still officially retired, he had been away from the league for over a year, trading sneakers for cleats, chasing his father’s ghost through the minor league outfields with the Birmingham Barons.
But the competitive itch had returned, and Jordan, never one to make a move without first proving something to himself, chose the Golden State Warriors‘ practice gym as the battleground for his quiet test run.
Getting in shape
It wasn’t the Chicago Bulls Jordan in the red No. 23. Just a man in gym gear, stepping into practice, asking for a run.
But the same dominant spirit never left even after several months out. According to Tim Hardaway, that scrimmage was a full-blown statement.
Advertisement
“He just wanted to see,” Hardaway said, recounting the practice session. “And he played against Latrell, myself and he picked his team, and we had our team. Honestly, I’m gonna tell you, he kicked our a—, literally kicked our a—.”
“I think at that particular time, he knew that he was coming back. When he came in, he played for about an hour and a half and said he could play all day.”
At the time, Golden State wasn’t commanding the West, but it had pieces, dangerous ones. Hardaway was back after a knee injury and still had the crossover that had redefined point guard play.
Latrell Sprewell was in his second year, fresh off a breakout rookie campaign that saw him averaging over 15 points per game. Chris Mullin was still a steady veteran presence. They weren’t contending for a championship, but they were no easy walkovers either.
Advertisement
Jordan wasn’t easing into a rhythm for a player who hadn’t touched an NBA court in over a year. Still, it was dictating the tempo, schooling top-tier athletes and doing it without the rust that should’ve accompanied months of baseball and no organized basketball.
That day in the Warriors’ gym wasn’t some friendly reunion. It was MJ measuring himself against the league’s current and walking away, certain that the crown was still his.
He was still Jordan
There’s something mythic about that version of Jordan, not the prime version flying through the air in ’91 or the three-peat closer in ’93, but the retired, unshaven, baseball-playing Mr. Air who quietly walked into an NBA practice facility and tore it up without cameras rolling or headlines the next day.
Advertisement
After over a year of baseball, he didn’t just keep up with NBA players; he dominated them.
“He literally kicked our butts and took it to us and showed us he was still a guy that can play on a high level,” Hardaway said. “That he is still Michael Jordan.”
By that point in 1994, Sprewell was ascending rapidly, having just been named an NBA All-Star and selected to the All-NBA First Team. He was young, explosive and fearless, the kind of player you’d expect to challenge a rusty veteran. But even that wasn’t enough. Jordan still had the edge, not just physically but mentally.
It’s easy to forget now, with a history already written and his ’95 return marked by that simple fax, “I’m back,” but these practice battles were the real groundwork. This was how Jordan figured out the truth before the rest of the world knew it.
Advertisement
That 1994 session with the Warriors wasn’t just nostalgia or curiosity. It was a crucible and the Bulls icon came out of it knowing exactly what he had left in the tank.
When he returned to the Bulls in March 1995, he averaged 26.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 17 games. By the following season, he was back to full force, leading Chicago to a then-record 72 wins and claiming his fourth NBA title.
But in truth, the road back started in that Warriors gym.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.