 Welcome, to the day that Kobe Bryant ruined Michael Jordan's perfect ending. This is the story that NBA legends and players cover that break down what happened during the 2003 All-Star game, Michael Jordan's last All-Star game in the league and when Kobe Bryant was dominating with Shaquille O'Neal. If you enjoy these types of videos get ready for December when we're dropping 23 Michael Jordan stories in 23 days. So look out for that, I've been working so hard during this month and I think you guys will love it. If you think you will, be sure to hit that subscribe button and if you enjoyed this video by the end, help me out by hitting that like button. All the likes really go a long way to supporting the channel and without further ado, welcome. To the day that Kobe Bryant ruined Michael Jordan's perfect ending. What was it like the first time you met Michael Jordan? So, you know, MJ retired with the shot game six in Utah. I was drafted that summer. The year I came out of college got drafted, he retired. He just won the chip. So I'm like, I'm playing against MJ. You know, this is my dream. And I'm thinking I'm about to play against my hero against my idol. That was my idol. So I was disappointed. And then he retired. And so then he retired. I was like, oh, no. And I'm like, oh, no. You want to see this in person there? I just missed my hero by a few months. So he didn't come back for the lockout here in 99 and 98.99. So I didn't get a chance to play against him again. And then he came back. He came back with the Wizards a few years later. So I remember I was coaching at the NBA All-Star Game actually here in Atlanta. So 2003 in Atlanta, MJ's last All-Star Game. 2003, my first All-Star. Jordan's last. That was actually Michael Jordan's last All-Star Game. I think it was Jordan's last All-Star Game. The NBA, if you would kind of encourage, hey, it's probably a good idea that MJ starts in his last game. That was a no-brainer for me. This next All-Star has just asked to be replaced in the starting lineup by Michael Jordan. Six, seven forward from the Toronto Raptors. Four-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter. You know, you go through all the protocols and I remember walking in. You in the room with everybody. You walk in that locker room. It's like. Yeah. That All-Star Game, when you look around and you think about the guys who were on the court back then, what do you guys, I mean, that was a crew. You sitting back and you're like, damn, this is the best of the best in here. I mean, it was a special group of guys on that floor, but you know. You had to try to create your swagger amongst a bunch of swagger. Mm-hmm. It was so many OGs still making it because they was OGs making it. You know, you got the OGs in there and they, the OGs always yelling and talking. In all of the festivities, you know how All-Star weekend is. This is bananas. And MJ was coming. Mm-hmm. Like, you can hear him coming. Is he glowing when he walked in? Bruh, like, listen, you hear, you hear, the cameras and the noise, you hear him coming down the hall and it's so funny because all of us in there sitting, we feel like we big dogs too. MJ walking in there and it's quiet. Get puppy in there. Okay. This is the cold thing. You walk about like this. Mike, make all the big dogs be like, straight up. It's him. It's him. It's him. It's the dog. I walk in and I say, hey, MJ, you know, it's your last All-Star game and everything. You're going to start. I was a leading vote getter and I gave my started position to MJ. To me, that's what I felt was the right thing to do. Go to the man himself and give him that position. Now, when I did that, Michael tells me, no, he's like, no, you earned it. You go ahead. I said, no, no, no, you don't hear me. You're going to start. I said, Mike, look here. I am not walking out here on this court tonight and start on this court and you were sitting on the bench because I didn't want to get black ball. I went to the NBA and the world like, how did you, how did you take up this spot? Yeah. I was not starting his last All-Star game. So he's like, no, no, no, you earned it. Go ahead. Go ahead. So I go back in, get dressed. I was sitting on the bench with my uniform on button all the way up and I was going to sit in the bench and I'm not going out there. Well, Michael, all weekend, your teammates have been trying to give up their starting spot. You politely have said thanks, but no thanks. What changed here at the last minute and did Vince Carter surprise you? That's exactly what happened to Vince's surprise me. I started walking in the back and they call him out. Boom. He walks out, starting line up and everything good. Of course, he was, he was a little up there in age, but it was still amazing. See, that's amazing. That is, though, but that was a dream just to, just to be on the court with MJ. I don't care what Michael wanted, this is how it should be. Michael Jordan should be starting the last All-Star appearance in his career. Now, Sean Marion of the Phoenix Suns who just came out is guarding Jordan. Michael hits the jumper and he just said about time. Jordan with Garnett back. Go Jordan with his third field goal. Michael Jordan able to hit the fadeaway over Gary Payton. He's television as we showed you earlier. Here's Jordan. Michael is actually having fun right now. He really is. He wants to hold on to this league. He wants to win the game with the Easter Conference and he's, he's playing very, very hard right now. Michael Jordan, 16 for Jordan. I grew up watching him. Here's Jordan with the change of pace. Henry, change of pace. And Mike got to shoot it quick. I'm getting to that in the final all day long. I know you ain't talking. I know where you're going. You got to get up quick. If you knew where I was going, why you going for the fake? Mike, after you face the ball, where else are you going? You just left your feet. Yeah, but where else are you going to go? In the game, I go for you. I split on over here around. I go for these grills right here. I grew up having that same type of edge and competitiveness. All right. You got nowhere. Come on. Freeze. Two. That's all right. All right. Here's Jordan. I shoot him better when the clock going down. Michael and I both know that certain players that we can intimidate, certain players are free. And misses on the first. Kobe at 83 percent free throw shooter. Chatted one-tenth seconds. But every now and then when you run into a player that has the same DNA that you do, has the same competitive spirit that you do. When I face him, we're going to go at it. I was right there the next play. All the steam of my pride took it out of the hands of kids. You're talking about it. I think he was the same way. We're down, we're down one. We take a time out. And you know, I'm diagramming a play for Jordan to get the last shot. And I know, I know where he's going to get it at. I'm going to put him on the box and he's going to do his little thing. Turn around and knock it down. Of course, we do it. Game is tied at 136. They have the full clock. And apparently there was a problem with the other clock. It just stopped. The shot clock should be turned off right now. They can run it all the way down. Well, we're down a tenth seconds remaining in overtime. And Michael has the ball. And it got him, I'm sure, Marion. The fade away has just given the East a two-point lead. He goes on and hits his historic fade away. And Michael has the ball. And it got him, I'm sure, Marion. The fade away. Any time that All-Star game is played on TV or talked about, that memory sticks to me because it was just historic in my mind. Historic for all the fans who were watching to see MJ do his thing one more time. In an All-Star game. We try our best. We're yelling, stop the game, stop the game. Next play, they call the time out. If I call them over, I say, hey, you know, this is Jordan's last All-Star game. You know, it'd be nice to let him go out on top. He looked me dead in my eyes and goes, oh, he got to earn it. Yeah, I'm not going anywhere. Garnett will inbound the East up by two. And so when we matched up, I think he understood that. Kobe gets fouled in the corner by Jermaine O'Neill. Now Kobe's going to the foul lines. Hits both free throws. We went in overtime and they beat us. And we lose. And I think he saw that level of respect. We had a chance to go in overtime and they just had more energy than we did down the stretch. That was a $20,000 fine right there. I remember that. That was a $20,000 fall. We were the one, $20,000, we won that game. I was pissed. Oh, my gosh. We end up losing that game. It was memorable just watching MJ for the last time in the All-Star game. I grew up watching MJ and shooting the fade away. And he hits it right there in that moment, All-Star game. We were like, NBA, this is it. We're going to close in error in an unbelievable career from MJ. Jordan stands out because it was his last one. But Mariah Carey stands out too in that dress. Yes. So many great stars killing the game. So many great stars rising and playing the game. I have passed on the things that Dr. J, some of the great players, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird has passed on to me. I pass on to these All-Stars here as well as the rest of the players in the NBA. I thank you for your support. Now I can go home and feel at peace with the Game of Basketball. Thank you very much.