Two interactions with Michael Jordan in my life.
A THREAD:

The year was 2003 or 2004. The Jordan Brand HS All American game was in DC at the Wizards arena. My dad got me and my best friend Brian Graham tickets.

We had seats pretty high up in one of the end zones. I wasn’t too interested in the game. I was scanning the sky boxes for MJ. I spotted him. Mid court. In a box with just him and another guy.

I tell my father I’m going to go say what’s up to MJ.

My dad says in true fashion “you better leave me man alone.”.

Not taking his advice, I muster up the courage and Brian and I sprint thru an empty Verizon center or MCI center concourse to find MJ’s box.

We find it. I begin my trek into that corridor that leads to the lower bowl seats, but for a second you can glance into the sky box/suite.

I grab hold to the side of the box with my 15 year old fingers, do a pull up and begin shouting..”Mr. Jordan, MJ, Mike, Mr. Jordan.”

MJ is having a serious conversation with Bob Johnson. But I kept trying to get his attention. I don’t even know what I would’ve said.

Finally MJ uncrosses his legs, stops talking to Mr. Johnson, turns around... looks me square in my eyes and says...”don’t you see grown folks talking? Leave me the hell alone.”

Walk back to my seat next to pops. Slouch down in my chair. Without even asking what happened, my father said to me ... “I told yo dumb ass to leave that man alone.” #TheLastDance

Fast forward eight years and it’s 2012 and the NBA Pre Draft process is in full swing.

Draft workouts are winding down (I’m on maybe workout # 19). It’s me vs John Jenkins in a one on one workout for MJ’s Charlotte Bobcats.

It was a good workout. More competition than usual. But a good, clean workout. All hooping. At the end, MJ makes sweaty palmed draft hopefuls come over to him and pick up (palm) two NBA balls from the ground right in front of him.

I had heard this test happens at Charlotte workouts. So I had been practicing and had done it multiple times prior.
This day I wasn’t so lucky. I couldn’t do it. Adding to my slippery palm frustration is MJ heckling me saying “my hands are so small I couldn’t palm golf balls.”

Workout ends and we are just hanging around cooling off. MJ goes out to the court to shoot some jumpers. He pats me on my back, side punches my leg and says “good work today Kim Kim. Love the way competed.”

That’s it. That’s the story. My two MJ encounters. The Bobcats took Jeffrey Taylor with the 30th pick. A freak athlete..... with big hands. John Jenkins went 23. #TheLastDance