NBA star who 'tried to fight' Michael Jordan explains why basketball GOAT was one of the 'dirtiest players ever'

Michael Jordan regularly tops lists of the greatest basketball players of all time. But according to one of the former Chicago Bulls superstar's old opponents, he should also rank among the NBA's dirtiest ever players.

Jordan won six championships and five Most Valuable Player awards during his glittering career and inspired a generation of the game's future stars with his eye-catching style of play, relentless pursuit of glory and magnetic personality.

Entering the league in the 1984 NBA draft, Jordan was first a high-flying super-athlete who wowed audiences with his outrageous dunks. And later as he athleticism waned, he became an adept low-post operator and lethal mid-range shooter, allowing him to remain the NBA's deadliest scorer and extend his prime years.

Jordan was also a famously fierce competitor. He was one of the best defenders in basketball during his peak and demanded high standards of his teammates, unafraid of clashing with colleagues or opponents.

During a Game 7 playoff showdown between the Bulls and the New York Knicks in 1992, Jordan got into a heated exchange with All-Star guard Xavier McDaniel.

After McDaniel had clashed with Jordan's Bulls running mate Scottie Pippen, the No.23 began to argue with McDaniel, with the two meeting heads and Jordan visibly shouting "f*** you" to the Knicks man.

Chicago went on to win the game, booking a place in the Eastern Conference finals, and soon after MJ and co. clinched the second of what would be three successive titles.

And speaking in an interview years later, McDaniel said that Jordan should be considered one of the dirtiest players every to step foot on an NBA court.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in action for the Chicago Bulls. Image: Getty

"Michael Jordan is one of the dirtiest players you’re going to play against," McDaniel said. "Larry Bird, he will do anything to win a game. He’ll trip you, he’ll grab your hand and then flop and say, ‘oh he’s fouling me.’

“Toughness comes in all types. You can be tough like Mike, he get the fussing and what oh my god. But Michael Jordan (was) one of the dirtiest players.”