"He's always gonna have the ultimate trump card" - Tim Legler on why he never boasted about his 3-point contest win to Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan led the league in scoring for ten seasons and dominated the offensive end like few have, but — believe it or not — his game had flaws. One of the obvious ones was the 3-point shooting, which was on full display during the 1990 3-point contest.
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Then there's Tim Legler, who, throughout his 10-year NBA career, was mostly known for his 3-point shooting ability, which was on full display during the 1996 3-point contest.
But Legler never bragged about it in front of the Chicago Bulls legend.
3-Point contest supremacy over MJ
Jordan was never afraid to try his hand at new competitions. So, even though he only shot 20.2 percent from long range in his first four NBA seasons, he decided to participate in the 1990 3-point contest.
The format of the event was very different compared to today — players competed head-to-head and the one with the better score advanced to the next round.
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In the first round, Jordan went up against his teammate Craig Hodges. Hodges, a role player for the Bulls, tallied 20 points. Jordan, on the other hand, only hit five — to this day, this is the joint-lowest score in the competition alongside Detlef Schrempf's from 1988.
Legler, on the other hand, won the contest in 1996. He hit 23, 22, and 20 in each round.
Fast forward to today, Legler, a career 43.1 percent 3-point shooter, was asked if he ever used his 3-point contest victory to rub it in Jordan's face — especially since the latter had a historically bad performance in the same event six years later. His answer was a resounding no.
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"I know for a fact Jordan did horribly, right? He's one of them," Legler said. "He's always gonna have the ultimate trump card if I get into that kind of conversation."
Related: "Yeah, they'll probably have to do something" - Bird says the NBA will be forced to move the 3-point line back if high volume continues
Legler always gave Jordan great respect
Everyone knows what Jordan's ultimate trump card is — six championships, 6-0 Finals record, six Finals MVPs, 14 All-Star appearances, 10 scoring titles, 11 All-NBA selections, nine All-Defensive selections, 1988 Defensive Player of The Year, five MVPs.
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Outside of a handful of guys, no one comes close to having such a resume. So, having one accolade that Jordan doesn't have isn't worth bringing up.
But for Legler, the appreciation for Jordan's greatness goes beyond the accolades. The two have faced each other seven times in the NBA. Those seven games were enough for Tim to realize no one comes close to His Airness.
"I played with a lot of Hall of Famers, Reggie Miller, Clyde Drexler," Legler said. "He was the only guy, Jordan, that I ever played against, that at no point could you relax 'cause he was that voracious in wanting to attack, always."
This is the essence of the Michael Jordan mystique. Even players who outshone him in certain areas knew better than to flaunt it. Because then the conversation would shift to accolades, and outside of a few names — or perhaps even no one — can beat MJ in that war.
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Related: Tim Legler warns Michael Jordan about his NBC gig: "You could end your career if you're not careful"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
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