Michael Jordan is the ultimate competitor. Only a few people in NBA history could match his will to win and competitive fire.
Out of everybody to ever step on an NBA floor, the 
Chicago Bulls legend had the most right to talk trash. Having won six NBA championships with a flawless NBA Finals record, Jordan was the ultimate winner.
But more often than not, His Airness would rather let his game do the talking. But when he did open his mouth, he only reserved his words for a select few.
“I only talked trash to people that I knew, my friends… I never talk trash to people that I didn’t know or people that I’m just meeting. And if they did, my game always did my talking. I’d never say anything.”
In 2014, in a special interview with NBA 2K, Jordan revealed the exclusive list of NBA players he talked trash to.
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan go way back. Their friendship and rivalry began during their college days, when Ewing was the big man on campus at Georgetown University and Jordan was the rising star at North Carolina.
The two met in the 1982 NCAA Championship game, where Jordan hit the game-winning shot to give the Tarheels the national title over Ewing’s Hoyas. That game just marked the beginning of what would be an epic, yet, rather one-sided rivalry into the pros.
With Jordan leading the Chicago Bulls and Ewing manning the paint for the 
New York Knicks, the two clashed in multiple playoff series throughout the 1990s. But just like in their National Championship encounter, MJ always came out on top.
Ewing never got past Jordan in the postseason, having lost all five of his playoff series against MJ, including three in a row during Chicago’s first three-peat.
The Bulls legend also had countless memorable performances and iconic moments against the Knicks. Perhaps Jordan’s favorite was when he dunked over his good buddy during the 1991 NBA playoffs — a highlight that’s been immortalized as one of the greatest posters of all time.
Of course, Jordan didn’t waste the opportunity to let Ewing know what he had just done. And he never fails to do so whenever he puts his friend in a highlight.
In an interview with ESPN back in 2020, Ewing admitted his career would have been a lot different if not for the GOAT. He also revealed that Jordan continues to gloat about the fact that Ewing has never beaten him when it mattered most.
Nonetheless, despite their heated on-court battles, Jordan has always considered Ewing a close friend. All their trash talk was just banters they could laugh about off the court.
At the end of the day, Jordan and Ewing have a lot of respect for each other. Their relationship is a prime example of how fierce rivals can remain good friends off the court.
Larry Bird
Larry Bird was one of the first superstars to truly test Michael Jordan early on in his career. Jordan, of course, stood up to the challenge.
The rising Bulls superstar exploded for 63 points against Bird’s 
Boston Celtics in the 1986 NBA playoffs. Though the Celtics won that game, Jordan pushed them to the limit as Boston needed two overtimes to overcome his barrage. After the grueling night, Bird famously said this about Jordan’s performance.
“That wasn’t Michael Jordan. That was God disguised as Michael Jordan.
Jordan never beat the three-time NBA champion in the playoffs. His early-year Bulls were no match for Larry Legend’s loaded Celtics teams, who swept Chicago in back-to-back years in 1986 and 1987.
But that wasn’t the last time Jordan and Bird encountered each other in the playoffs. They saw each other again over a decade later in the 1998 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Jordan was in what would be his last dance in Chicago, while Bird was in a suit and tie as the head coach of the Reggie Miller-led 
Indiana Pacers.
The Bulls and Pacers engaged in a seven-game war, with Chicago coming out on top to advance to the Finals. After the grueling series, the two legends met after the game and exchanged not-so-pleasantries, with Jordan leaving a friendly NSFW message for Bird
Despite their heated battles on and off the court, Bird and Jordan always had a mutual admiration and respect for each other’s greatness.
Magic Johnson
Like Larry Bird, Magic Johnson was also another legend whom Jordan considered a close friend. But their tight-knit relationship never stopped them from jawing at each other.
Widely regarded as the greatest point guard ever, the 
L.A. Lakers icon was someone whom Jordan had to get past during his ascension to the top of the NBA. Along with Bird, Magic was the face of the NBA throughout the 80s.
The dream Finals finally happened in 1991, where Jordan’s Bulls beat Magic’s Lakers to give Chicago its first championship in franchise history. The series signified a symbolic passing of the torch from Magic to His Airness as the new king of the NBA.
The two stars eventually grew close off the court, especially during their time as teammates with the 1992 Dream Team. Ironically, despite being on the same page for Team USA, that’s also where a lot of the friendly fire happened.
Johnson has famously shared details about the legend of the greatest pick-up game ever with Jordan leading one team of superstars, and Magic with his own squad of legends.
The five-time NBA champ admitted he was talking a lot of smack during the scrimmage. Magic wanted to prove the league still ran through him. But as he found out, poking the bear wasn’t a smart decision. Jordan took that personally and went off against Johnson’s team until Team USA coach Chuck Daly called the scrimmage off.
After the game, the three-time NBA MVP had no choice but to acknowledge Jordan as the new sheriff in town.
Over the years, their relationship only grew. But the bickering has never stopped. Just during the NBA 75 Celebration back in 2022, the 59-year-old Jordan challenged 63-year-old Magic to a one-on-one.
At the end of the day, all the banter between them has been done in good fun. The two legends have the utmost respect for each other and the legacy they established for the game of basketball.
Jordan and Johnson’s dynamic over the years has shown how trash talk, when rooted in friendship, can strengthen bonds between two of the game’s greatest.