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Michael Jordan punching Steve Kerr in the face during a Chicago Bulls practice is one of the many infamous stories that had been retold even before “The Last Dance” film was released.
But Will Perdue, who played for the Bulls from 1988 to 1995 and again during the 1999-2000 season, confirmed in an interview with CBS Sports HQ on Sunday he also caught a blow from Jordan.
Perdue's fight was first made known in Sam Smith's book, "The Jordan Rules."
“He did, and I wasn't the only one,” the former NBA center said. “That's how competitive our practices were. That wasn't the only fight, that was one of numerous. But because it involved Michael Jordan, and it leaked out, that it became a big deal. And the funny thing was, in that practice that it happened, we basically separated, regrouped and kept practicing -- it wasn't like that was the end of practice. Stuff like that was common because that's how competitive our practices were.”
Will Perdue played center for the Bulls during their first three titles. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Kerr and Jordan had the most infamous scuffle, which ended with the three-point specialist getting a black eye. According to ESPN, the two were involved in an intense scrimmage in 1995 and were in the middle of some heated trash talk when things got out of hand.
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“I took exception to something he said,” Kerr recalled in 2013. “So I was talking back and I don’t think Michael appreciated that ... and we got in the lane and he gave me a forearm shiver to the chest and I pushed him back. And next thing you know, our teammates were pulling him off of me.”
Kerr had a black eye but managed to get his punches in before teammates broke up the fight. He said after that, their relationship changed dramatically.
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“He became, I think, more compassionate to everybody, and definitely to me,” Kerr said. “He had a different approach than most people and he was such a maniac, the way he would kind of attack the game and the season that he had to understand that everyone was different and not everyone was as talented as him and not everyone was made up the same way as him.”
Chicago later went on an NBA-best 72-10 and won the NBA title.
Perdue and Kerr were a part of two separate Bulls three-peats. Perdue was on the Bulls championship teams in the early 1900s and Kerr was on the team in the late 1990s.
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For an insider's perspective on "The Last Dance," check out Fox Nation's new show, "Guarding Jordan," where former NBA star and coach Jeff Hornacek reflects on going head-to-head against the NBA superstar in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.