Michael Jordan's 10 Most Memorable Summer Camp Moments in Recent History
From schooling O.J. Mayo to dunking at the age of 50, MJ has done some memorable things during his summer camps.
Image via Complex Original
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It's been more than a decade now since Michael Jordan last played in the NBA. But that hasn't stopped him from doing some pretty memorable things on the basketball court in recent years. Every summer, he continues to take part in his annual Flight School camps. And even though he's 51 now and can't move around quite as well as he used to, he still knows how to put on a show when he laces up his Air Jordans.
We were reminded of that—again—yesterday when a video surfaced of Jordan playing a game of Around the World during one of his recent camps. While he spoke to a crowd full of kids, MJ managed to knock down not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, not eight, not nine, not ten, but 11 shots in a row. It was impressive, to say the least. And after watching MJ do it, it got us to thinking about all of the other things he's done during camps over the course of the last decade. So from the time he schooled a young O.J. Mayo to the time he pulled off a dunk at the age of 50, here are Michael Jordan's 10 Most Memorable Summer Camp Moments in Recent History.
2.Destroying O.J. Mayo During a Pickup Game
Year: 2006
You know what's not a good idea? Trying to talk trash to Michael Jordan. But according to MJ, that's exactly what Mayo—who was still in high school in 2006—attempted to do in front of a crowd full of young campers.
"I'm playing in my camp against O.J. Mayo, he was a top high school kid coming out and I had never met him," Jordan revealed in 2014. "First time. In front of my camp, he starts this thing about, 'You can't guard me, you can't do this.' I got my campers here, so obviously I can't really go where I want to go because I own my camp. So I stop the camp, send the kids to bed…"
And, well, then this happened. Jordan taught Mayo a lesson—a few lessons actually—and humbled him real quick.
3.Proving He Could Still Dunk at the Age of 48
Year: 2011
During a Q&A with a group of kids at a Charlotte Bobcats Fantasy Camp, MJ was asked by one little girl if he could still dunk. And rather than answer her, MJ decided to show her by grabbing a ball and throwing down a dunk. It wasn't quite as exciting as some of the dunks he threw down during his career. But that little girl can now tell people that MJ dunked for her for the rest of her life.
4.Showing Off His Best Moves to a Slamball Player (While Wearing Baggy Jeans!)
Year: 2009
During some downtime at a camp, Slamball star Chris "The Ghetto Bird" Young decided that he was going to challenge MJ to a quick game of 1-on-1. MJ was 46 at the time and wearing jeans, so Young thought he had a chance to shut him down. But he thought wrong. Not only did Jordan manhandle him, but he called most of his shots before he took them and made Young look silly.
5.Sinking a Free Throw With His Eyes Closed to Prove a Point
Year: 2007
MJ actually did this at the end of a game once after reportedly saying "This one's for you" to Dikembe Mutombo. So it wasn't all that surprising to see him do it again. But what was kind of surprising was that he did it after giving a whole talk to a bunch of campers about the importance of establishing a rhythm at the free throw line. So it would have looked bad if he had missed this. Fortunately, though, he's MJ so he didn't.
6.Draining 11 Shots in a Row During a Game of Around the World
Year: 2014
MJ hasn't played professional basketball in more than 11 years now. But he clearly hasn't lost his shooting touch. During a recent game of Around the World, MJ made 11 shots in a row and didn't even let his competition do anything other than rebound for him.
7.Beating Juwan Howard and His Son in a Shooting Competition
Year: 2013
It's no secret that MJ likes to gamble. So last year, he made a bet with more than 800 kids who were in attendance at one of his camps. If he and his son Jeffrey lost a shooting competition to Juwan Howard and his son or a lady and her son, he promised all of the kids at the camp free sneakers. Surprisingly, the lady and her son almost won, too! But then, MJ remembered that he's one of the best basketball players ever and, well, let's just say that more than 800 kids went home without free sneakers.
8.Playing 1-on-1 Against a Kid in a Kobe Bryant Jersey
Year: 2014
If you're going to play 1-on-1 against MJ, here's a piece of advice: Don't do it in a Kobe Bryant jersey! Jordan got off to a slow start here and actually gave up a bucket at the beginning of the game. But by the end, he found his rhythm and even pulled out the phrase, "You reach, I teach," after sinking a jumper over the Kobe fan.
9.Saying Kobe Bryant Is a Better Player Than LeBron James
Year: 2010
During just about every camp that he attends, MJ holds a Q&A session with those who are in attendance. And people ask him all kinds of questions. One of those questions at this particular camp was "Who's better: Kobe or LeBron?" And MJ was forced to make a decision. He picked…not LeBron.
It'd be interesting to see who he would choose if he was asked this question today.
10.Losing a Game of 1-on-1 to a Businessman
Year: 2003
Okay, okay, so we can't make a list of MJ's summer camp moments and not include this one—even though it doesn't make MJ look very good.
Back in 2003, Jordan agreed to play a game of 1-on-1 with Ariel Investments CEO and Chairman John Rogers during a fantasy basketball camp. And while MJ didn't exactly put forth his best effort during the game, Rogers ended up hitting a circus shot at the end to win and cemented his legacy as one of the few people on the planet to ever beat MJ 1-on-1.
11.Dunking at the Age of 50
Year: 2013
MJ doesn't get up as high as he used to. But last summer, he proved that he can still dunk by taking the ball to the hole during a game of 1-on-1 against a little kid and slamming it home. There's no telling how much longer MJ is going to be able to do this—we're talking about both dunking and making memorable moments at summer camps here—so enjoy it while you still can.