 When scrolling through the Michael Jordan archives, you may have come across this clip. Welcome to the story behind the day that Michael Jordan humiliated Corey Benjamin at the Bulls practice. This is a well-known video that's gone around, it's been shared many, many times, but this is the story behind what happened on this day. So I don't want to keep you waiting, but if you're enjoying the 23 Jordan videos in 23 days, all that I'll ask is that if you do, please hit that like button. Subscribe if you're new, if you want to stay tuned for more. And be sure to check out the playlist that has all the Michael Jordan videos that we're doing so far. Also a special mention to these guys, this is where I get the footage from and go check out the original content by them. Without further ado, welcome to the story behind the day that MJ humiliated Corey Benjamin. I am here to announce my retirement from the game of basketball. I chose to walk away knowing that I can still play the game. And that's exactly the way I wanted to end it. How hard was it getting drafted to the Bulls and being a part of the team that like was like the rebuilding process with Jordan statues outside? That was tough. And I remember that kind of being just like the first era of like, it was like you. Elton Brand, it was Corey Benjamin was ready. Yeah. Kid named Corey Benjamin from Oregon State. And he's come back though. I was very disappointed. I was very disappointed, but you know, I got to spend time with MJ. Hang out with MJ, you know, on the weekends. Play one on one waiting. I have to bring up that story. I have to tell those that I read that and that was hilarious. Before we continue, side notes, side story. You, you were a confident young fella. Here's Corey Benjamin getting a little sleep. Usually he's up and, uh, and grabbing drinks for harp and Randy Brown and they're ordering the rookie around, but they're letting him get a little rest. And you were like, I'm going to beat Michael Jordan one-on-one. Right? Is that how it went down? Yeah. Why wouldn't you think that? I love it. I love the confidence. Here he comes, the goat walks in and you guys play. Tell me how that went down. After Randy Brown, those are his boys. I got to hang out with MJ. You know, I was like, I'm 19 years old and I'm hanging out with MJ. Like, what? What does a 19 year old do with MJ in Chicago, bro? Just sit there and look at him. He's called my brother, my friends. He's like, I'm actually at dinner with MJ, you know what I'm saying? Like, and you know, they call him black cat, you know what I'm saying? I'm actually sitting down with black cat. Like, I'm in the gym. I'm on the bus with MJ. Like, he's coming to talk to me. Like, dang. What type of stuff would you and Mike talk about, bro? I was that young boy. I always nagged him, you know, like, I'll drive over there and like ring his doorbell. Play ding dong ditch. I was only 19 years old. Play ding dong ditch and like the security, like leave, like, you know, get out of here, you know? But I just wanted to bother him because I wanted him to come be my friend, you know? Yeah, right. Who would it? So all of, you know, a lot of his ex teammates were still, you know, in contact. We're going to go hang out with them. And I always take the phone and just like talk stuff to him. So I was always talking stuff to Mike. You know what I'm saying? It's like, I tell Mike I can get you. It was crazy because, you know, I was, I was taking on any challenges with anybody back then. You know, I wasn't turning nothing down with my top, you know? And it all started with a phone call. I just met up one day. Ryan Harper was on the telephone or something like that. He talking to Michael Jordan, like every single day on the phone. So I grabbed the phone and talked to him and he was talking or whatever. You know, a little confident, 19, 20 year old kid, you believe you can't be beat. Yeah. And especially he was an old man, you know, he asked me a question and I said something about, he asked me a question about, do I think I can get him? I said, absolutely yes. You know, absolutely yes. So just conversation went on for about two weeks and I stuck to my guns. And you know, I said a little bit too much. What'd you say? What'd you say? What'd you say? I can get you. I can get you. Like he said, what? I say, yeah, I want that. He said, I see you. I said, okay. I'm like, yeah, right. MJ ain't gonna come get none of this, you know what I'm saying? Mm-hmm. We planted, I think DC. And we were like in DC and... And MJ was living in DC. He told me, I'm gonna come to the game and talk to you. The camera had shut up, not this car. He wasn't there to watch the game. Man, they showed this dude on the camera walking in. He had his own game. He had his own game that day. His own game plan was to come talk to me while I wasn't getting taped for a game. I'm getting taped. He ain't coming here to talk to nobody. Nobody. He coming to see me on the tape. He walked in and said, what'd you say? I said, I can get that. He talked to me for about 15 minutes and said, I'll see you tomorrow in Chicago. He said, all right. I'll be at your practice Monday morning. I'm like, yeah, right. Who's gonna fly just to go play me in? Can you flew me to Chicago? That is hilarious. We flew back to Chicago. We broke practice. We was on free pool. In one day in November, early in the year, at the end of practice, guess who walks in the door unannounced? Guess who walks in the door? In the door, Chris. I didn't take a joke. I didn't take a joke on myself. Yeah. 23 walked in this sweat clothes. So I act like I didn't see him. You know what I'm saying? He said, come back here. So Jordan took off his top, but he kept his bottoms on his sweat pants on. Let's go. Everybody like, oh, I'm like, oh, Lord. And it felt like at that particular time, I was the kid in the candy store. Oh, I'm sure. Pretty cool. That's a pretty cool story. Michael Jordan destroyed poor Cory Benjamin. And then Jordan was tough to defend. I mean, the thing about Jordan was, you knew what he was going to do. You knew what he was going to do. And he going to get you all, he going to pull up. He going to go left, pull up. Go fade right. And you knew it was coming. Oh, wow. That's crazy. He just scored and scored and scored on him in every way, shape, and form imaginable. In the beginning, Chris, I mean, like, in a dream, like, actually, I'm a fan against my idol. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, the first seven buckets, I'm looking like this. He did, I want to be like, Mike on me. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, like, he really do this in real life. Oh. Oh. Oh, yeah. It's great. It's great. It's great. Oh, yeah. And poor Corey Benjamin was so psychologically shocked by what Jordan did to him that Corey Benjamin never amounted to anything. He hung on for about three years with the Bulls. Then he bounced around the league a little bit. Then he bounced around overseas a little bit. And he was out of sight, out of mind. And Jordan came over and told us in the media afterward, that was a lesson. Were you trying to get my morale boost today? Is that one of the reasons? That is, well, the lesson. That's nothing I can't postpone. It wasn't just a lesson for Corey Benjamin. It was a lesson for Jerry Krause. Jerry and everybody you feel comfortable with. I don't come around Jerry. I don't have to come around Jerry. I mean, you know, I can come around and see some of the players. I mean, I don't have to report to him. You took that guy and you thought he could replace me? Well, I just did that to him. I'm getting goosebumps just telling you the story. I always want to know if you were really playing that hard or was it because it was after practice and you were a little winded. It's just sometimes when you were like challenging the jumper, it kind of looked like you were just, you weren't really trying to block it. I know you CB, you got a long ass wingspan. You're quick. I mean, you're one of the hardest dudes to get a jumper off. Were you taking it easy defensively on Mike? I want to know that. Chris, I was living my dream. You know what I'm saying? To be honest, I was living my dream. And then when I know he had got up on me like 7-0, Mike got up like 7-0 on me real fast. Like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Now I'm like, who? So, you know, my friend's like, come on, Cory. Like, I'm like, oh, so then I had to start playing. But, you know, that's a kid's dream to play against their idol. Man, what an experience. And that's sort of like, it's weird that that's like what everybody remembers and sort of like talks about it. And they put it, how do you feel when you get brought up in these type of discussions? When these moments go viral and everybody's kind of like, Mike's spanking this rookie, blah, blah, blah. How does that feel, Cory, when you see that? Hey, you know what? I just always say, I got to touch my idol. You know, you know, some people are like, oh, Mike, he dog walks you. But how many people can actually say they played Jordan with the man one-on-one? Please. At the Bulls practice facility. At the Bulls practice facility. And with all the six, six championship rings around, you know, you can play your man. I got to talk stuff to my idol, you know, and build a friendship and build a friendship with my idol. See, people don't understand, Mike likes that. So when I got a chance to play with him in 1996 at the Jordan Dome, when he was out here filming, Mike would always be talking crap about me and about how fat I used to be and how, you know, if you better watch out, boy, you better work with me. You gonna blow up again. You know, he would say all these things, man, but it was all, you can go back at Mike. Mike, you can be physical with Mike. You can elbow Mike in practice and you can like be tough with Mike. And Mike was not tripping. He welcomed it. I think that's one of the things that fans don't really understand. They're like, oh my God, how do you guys think you can be on the court with Michael Jordan? He's like, you guys don't really know what time it is, man. It's like, Michael likes competition just like everybody else. He's an athlete. He puts his shoes on one foot at a time, just like everyone else. But I never couldn't tell him, you're my idol. But he already knew. He had to play it cool, but it's like, who wouldn't be? I mean, that's awesome. That's a really good story. I'm wearing his shoes from this day. I love Jordan. I'm playing a guy that got his own clothes off. I already know, bro. I already know, dog. I just came out half the time. You talked a little trash in a line. I had to come in. Please don't take it no further than that. Come in the area. I'm gonna stop it, Mike. You know, but it doesn't mean anything. I play pick up games sometimes in the neighborhood. Southside, Westside. No one takes anything from that. I mean, I never said I was gonna stop playing. How do you feel out there? I'm sure your game used to be that loud. You know what I mean? Half court and I'm wild. There's a good thing about it. He's wild more than I am. I had my great reign basketball. No matter what you guys say. If I come and hang around the game, I still love the game better than me. I'm coming back.