NBA champion Rip Hamilton has revealed how basketball legend Michael Jordan once blasted him.
The shooting guard was Jordan’s teammate with the Washington Wizards in 2001–02, shortly after he joined the NBA and the Hall of Famer came out of retirement.
Jordan was known for his brutal attacks on teammates and opponents alike.
And the Chicago Bulls icon devastatingly told a young Hamilton that he wasn’t good enough to wear his Air Jordan sneakers.
“Me and some young guys would come up to him and say, ‘Hey Mike, what do you think about putting us in the (Jordan Brand) collection?'” Hamilton recalled on ESPN’s The Jump.
“And he’d look at me and say, ‘Hey, Rip – my sneaker is for the All-Stars.’
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Hamilton did not let Jordan’s harsh comments deter him.
After moving to the Detroit Pistons in 2002, Hamilton won an NBA title in 2004 and made three All-Star teams.
He added: “After I made the All-Star team I said, ‘Hey, Em, now I’m an All-Star, now you have to put me in that sneaker and now you have to pay me a big amount.’
Hamilton eventually became an Air Jordan athlete and in 2019 he got his own signature shoe with the Jordan 14 Rip Hamilton PE.
“There’s nothing like getting your first Jordan shoe with your name on it. That’s my No. 1,” Hamilton told CBS Sports.
“Come on, man. You can’t dream of anything better than this.”
Hamilton had a 14-year career in the NBA and retired with the Bulls in 2013.
He is currently a basketball analyst for CBS Sports.