Michael Jordan has never been one to sit out games, and he's making it clear he doesn't understand the modern NBA's approach to load management.
In the latest installment of MJ: Insights to Excellence on NBC and Peacock, the six-time NBA champion spoke candidly with Mike Tirico about how the game and player mentality has changed since his era.
"It shouldn't be needed, first and foremost," Jordan said about load management. "I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove [myself]. The fans are there to watch me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his ass off to buy a ticket."
Tirico asked if Jordan truly cared about the fan sitting in the upper decks of The Palace in Auburn Hills, and His Airness didn't hesitate to say he would acknowledge fans of his fiercest rivals.
"Yeah, because I know he's probably yelling at me," said Jordan. "I want to shut him up. He's calling me all kinds of names. I definitely want to shut him up."
Jordan went on to explain that playing through discomfort was part of his duty as both a competitor and an entertainer.
"If the guys are coming to watch me play, I don't want to miss that opportunity. Physically, if I can't do it, then I can't. But if I can and I just don't feel like it, that's a whole different lens," said Jordan.
The comments come as the NBA continues to wrestle with the debate around load management, as teams rest star players to preserve health over the long season. Throughout his 15-year career, Jordan played at least 78 games in 12 seasons and all 82 games nine times. The only stretches he missed significant time were due to legitimate injuries or his mid-career baseball break.
Jordan was famously relentless about suiting up, even when dealing with an injury or sickness. He returned early after a broken foot in 1986 when he dropped a record 63 points on the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, and there's the legendary 1997 "Flu Game," when he played 44 minutes and scored 38 points despite being visibly ill.
"It was a pivotal Game 5," Jordan recalled. "I was going to find a way to get out there, even if I was a decoy. Once you're out there, emotions and the moment take over. You just gut it out."