How many times have you wished you could see two NBA stars play one-on-one to determine who was the better player?
Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan, Stephen Curry vs. Russell Westbrook, the list goes on.
Well, the ultimate one-on-one showdown almost happened in the summer of 1990 between Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
That’s right, with Jordan’s career on the rise and Johnson at the peak of his powers, the two stars were interested in a one-on-one, pay-per-view event at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to determine who was the NBA’s best, according to a story by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Abrams.
The winner would have received a paycheck of $1 million, which was what Jordan made per year in 1990 with his six championships and the Jordan Brand still ahead of him.
“Jordan against Johnson, though, was the best of the NBA’s best pitted singularly against each other,” Abrams writes. “And several major media outlets had reported this sure bet as all but a done deal. At the very least, the two stars had been approached and the game’s payout had been negotiated. Both were intrigued, with Jordan even teasing the matchup on ESPN after the All-Star break.”
While both players initially were interested, the game never materialized for a host of reasons, including NBA commissioner David Stern’s dislike for associating his league with gambling.
But the players also began to waver, especially “His Airness,” who wondered what the game actually would accomplish, David Falk, Jordan’s agent, told Abrams.
“Falk recalls Jordan saying: ‘If I win, people will say,’So, what do you expect? That’s what Michael is — he’s a one-on-one player.’ And if I lose, then I don’t have the rings or the title. So what’s the point of doing it?”
Who would have won? We’ll never know, but what a spectacle it would have been.
Thumbnail photo via Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports Images
