“You didn’t wanna guard him?” – Juwan Howard’s son poses major Michael Jordan question after unearthing hilarious vintage trash talk

Michael Jordan intimidated a lot of players back in his prime with the Chicago Bulls during his reign of dominance in the 1990s. A throwback story of Jordan going against the Washington Bullets in the playoffs popped out online recently, prompting Juwan Howard’s son to question him about MJ.

In a post on his Instagram stories, Jace Howard of the Michigan Wolverines shared a clip of Chris Webber and Tim Legler talking about Jordan. Webber explained how he and Juwan threw Calbert Cheaney under the bus when “His Airness” asked who would be guarding him in Game 2 of the 1997 NBA playoffs.

Legler explained that Cheaney did all he could to stop Jordan, who ended up scoring 55 points as the Bulls got the 109-104 win. Chicago went on to sweep Washington en route to their fifth NBA championship.

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Here's how Jace questioned his father on Instagram.

"You didn't wanna guard him?"

In fairness to Juwan Howard, he didn't play the same position as Michael Jordan. Howard was bigger at power forward, but Jordan was quicker and would certainly get past the Michigan legend with ease.

Webber and Howard failed to lead the Washington Bullets back into the playoffs the following season. The Bullets would trade Webber to the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 1998-99 lockout-shortened season, while Howard would remain in Washington until February 2002.

Jordan, who became an executive for Washington, sent him to the Dallas Mavericks at the 2002 trade deadline.

Juwan Howard felt like a younger brother to Michael Jordan

Speaking to the Big Ten Network back in 2020 during the height of the pandemic and the release of "The Last Dance," Juwan Howard spoke about his relationship with Michael Jordan. Howard considered MJ an older brother who guided him in the NBA.

Howard was part of the select players who helped Jordan get into shape for his return from baseball while filming Space Jam. Here's what the two-time NBA champion said:

"I know the impact that MJ has had on my life," Howard said, according to The Detroit News. "He's always been a big brother teaching me how to be a professional, teaching me work ethics. Getting a chance to watch him work out for an entire summer and see how he's been invested into improving as a player, which amazes me the most because here's the greatest player in the world, the G.O.A.T in my opinion, still working at his craft."

Howard was born and raised in Chicago, the city that Jordan represented for the majority of his NBA career.

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Juan Paolo David

Juan Paolo is a journalist for Sportskeeda who covers the NBA and WNBA. He's been writing about basketball since 2015 and has been with Sportskeeda since 2021.

Juan's allegiance lies with the Golden State Warriors and his journey with the Warriors began with their memorable victory over the Lakers in 2000, and he experienced the successes of the 'We Believe' era and the rise of Steph Curry. 

What Juan loves most about basketball is its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from adrenaline-fueled excitement to the highs of victory and the lows of defeat. To ensure complete accuracy in articles, he conducts thorough research before writing his articles.

The Warriors' victories in the 2022 and 2017 championships hold a special place in Juan's memories, as well as iconic moments like Baron Davis' dunk over Andrei Kirilenko and Goran Dragic's performance in the 2010 Western Conference semifinals.

Off the court, Juan enjoys watching football, TV and movies, caring for his numerous cats, and cooking whenever time permits.

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