"You gonna be calling me Mr. Jordan before the night is up" - John Starks recalls how he tried to intimidate Michael Jordan in his Knicks debut

Yahoo

25-05-2025

Michael Jordan was a man like no other in the NBA, especially at the peak of his powers. With his remarkable mix of athleticism and extreme competitiveness, the 6'6" wingman from Wilmington, North Carolina, was in a league all on his own.
Naturally, MJ had plenty of rivals. And one of the fiercest ones was the New York Knicks' feisty guard John Starks.
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Although the Chicago Bulls won six championships in the 1990s, none of those title runs were cakewalks. A team that gave the Bulls stiff opposition was the Knicks. A hard-nosed squad that utilized the Detroit Pistons' blueprint in trying to rattle MJ, the Knicks weren't averse to getting physical with Jordan and his Bulls teammates.
New York's poster boy for this no-nonsense, physical approach was Starks. Known for his relentless defense and fiery demeanor on the court, he was a thorn in Mike's side whenever they faced off.
Long retired from the NBA and now 59, Starks still remembers the night he first faced off against Jordan and how he tried to introduce himself to him the moment he stepped foot on the floor.
Excited to go up against "Air Jordan"
Starks guard traveled a long and arduous path to the NBA. After wrapping up his high school career in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he attended three different colleges before going undrafted in 1998. He signed with the Golden State Warriors but didn't get many opportunities there, so he played in several different leagues before trying out for the Knicks in 1990.
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John explained that guard Trent Tucker's injury created an opening in the rotation, giving him the opportunity to step onto the court.
"My first game was against you guys and Michael, and so I was so excited, you know what I mean? Because I always watched Mike during college and always taped his games and studied them and what have you. So I was so excited to go out and play against them," Starks shared, remembering the details like the game happened yesterday.
As excited as John was to share the floor with a player he looked up to, he was unafraid. In fact, what he did next would solidify his place as a gutsy player willing to take on any challenge.
"And my first play when I got in the game, off the bench, he tried to post me up," Starks said. "And I hit him in the back of the forearm."
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Recognizing the hit, "His Airness" was barely fazed, but he warned Starks that there would be repercussions for those types of actions.
"He looked back at me and was like, 'All right, you gonna be calling me Mr. Jordan before the night is up,'" the former Knick revealed.
Related: Scottie Pippen admits he is astounded by how Nikola Jokic plays the game of basketball: "That guy is the best player in basketball"
The start of a healthy rivalry
To MJ, that kind of physicality was nothing new. Having young and brash players come up to challenge him wasn't either. To prove his point, he dropped 37 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and eight steals on the Knicks in that December 1990 game.
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Still, Starks didn't keep his mouth shut and even chased Mike after the final buzzer to give him some parting words.
"So I ended up having a pretty good game, and as he was going off the court, I ran up to him. I said, 'You didn't get 'Mr. Jordan' out of me.' And so that's when the battle started, you know, between me and him and playing," the retired guard noted. "But it was a great experience, because obviously, you know, as a young player and you seeing guys who you look up to — while you was in college — and getting the opportunity to play against him was amazing."
Starks faced Jordan in the postseason four times, losing each matchup. However, his most iconic career moment came during Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals, when he delivered a memorable dunk over the Bulls guard late in the game.
Related: "I never saw one free agent come to the Bulls and say that they wanna play with Michael" - Scottie Pippen reinforces the notion that no other big-name players had interest in playing with MJ