"His turns were pretty sluggish" - When Michael Jordan played wheelchair basketball against a 16-year-old

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The hypercompetitive Michael Jordan never shied away from a challenge, which was evident in a heartwarming moment from 1987. At the time, the NBA superstar participated in a one-on-one wheelchair basketball game against 16-year-old Eric Barber.

Typically, in most matchups during his storied career, MJ emerged victorious while engaging in some trash talk. However, this time, the roles were reversed. Barber prevailed with a score of 20-14, and afterwards, he held nothing back.

“He (Jordan) was taking these really little short strokes as able-bodied do when they are in a wheelchair. His turns were pretty sluggish,” Barber remarked, per paralympic.org.

Eric’s dream came true

Back then, a young Jordan was just beginning his extraordinary rise to stardom but had already amassed a devoted fan base. Many young fans, including teenager Barber, aspired to emulate the 1985 ROY winner.

“Seeing him (Jordan) do some of the things that he did…he captivated all of Chicago and most of the world, and I was no different,” Barber reminisced.

Despite being born with scoliosis and losing his legs at age 3, Eric remained determined to face off against his Chicago Bulls idol. He wrote to NBC, which aired the ’80s show Sports Fantasy, expressing his wish. To Eric’s delight, his request was accepted, leading to the wheelchair basketball game in which the first player to reach 20 points would win.

An unforgettable matchup

Before the matchup, Barber confidently outlined his strategy and predicted challenges for his opponent, whom he called “a novice” in the sport.

“I’ve been doing this for at least two to three years. I go to the court every day. My game is tight. He’s not gonna know how to manoeuvre in a chair,” Barber declared.

Jordan, unyielding as always, later confronted him about this, asking, “What’s this you been talking? You going to get away with me and think I don’t have a chance?'”

A few minutes into the game, Barber’s prediction proved accurate as he outplayed the struggling MJ, securing a score of 16-4. Yet, ‘His Airness’ wouldn’t be the legend he is without his incredible resilience. Remarkably, he adapted and narrowed the gap. It was very impressive for Eric to witness, just like one particular play MJ had against him.

“He kind of put the ball out in front of him. I thought this is my time to get the ball from Michael Jordan. So I took my hand out and hit down on it as hard as I could to jar it out of him. But the ball did not move at all,” he recounted.

Still, Barber, who grew up in Chicago, didn’t let the game slip away from him and ultimately triumphed. Despite his impressive athletic career that followed, with him becoming a 4-time US Paralympic champion, the matchup against MJ remained an important milestone.

“It helped me personally and from an athletic perspective too taking on one of the best athletes in the world and seeing his growth throughout that day we had together,” Eric reflected.