When Richard Hamilton first entered the National Basketball League with the Washington Wizards, a wily, old veteran player by the name of Michael Jordan was leading the team. At times, the old man could be the most helpful leader on the planet, giving a young Hamilton tips on how to improve his game, but in other ways, MJ was one tough old man. We're talking, "Hey rookie, get off my lawn!" type old man here.
In fact, Hamilton explains how Jordan told him he wasn't even good enough to rock Jordan Brand shoes at one point. For a rookie player in the league, MJ saying you don't even deserve to wear his sneakers has to be one of the hardest things to handle. Rip must have had some crazy thick skin.
Hamilton tells the story on 'The Jump':
Hamilton turned out to be quite the ball player, so it looks like the MJ tough love technique works.
