Why Mike Tyson Almost 'Beat Up' NBA Champ Michael Jordan Over Hollywood Ex

Celebrity feuds have always drawn the attention of fans and tabloids alike. But little do people know about the bad blood between former boxing champ Mike Tyson and former basketball star Michael Jordan. According to Express, Tyson almost 'beat up' Jordan at one point, despite both Tyson and Jordan being reigning champions in their respective sports in that era. The incident took place back in 1988 during a birthday dinner that was arranged for NFL star Richard Dent. 

It so turned out that the feud between the two famous athletes revolved around Tyson's then-wife, actress Robin Givens. For context, by the late 80s, Tyson had established himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion in the boxing ring and Jordan was a rising NBA star after getting drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Tyson had started dating Givens in 1987 and The Boomerang star tied the knot with Tyson in 1988. But the marriage was short-lived and a lot of ugly issues between the couple came to public attention. Their marriage was on the rocks as they made it to the headlines of popular media outlets after Givens accused Tyson of spousal abuse.

During this period, Jordan got entangled in an affair with Givens. Surely enough, Tyson was not happy that Jordan had previously dated Givens, and he ended up confronting the basketball player at Dent's birthday bash. As per The Sun, "Mike Tyson’s sitting there with his drink of choice, a Long Island Tea, and when he drinks his real feelings come out," Rory Hollway, one of Tyson’s managers who was present at the party, wrote in his memoir. "I’m telling the server to water his drinks down because I see where this is going."

“Mike stares across the table at Michael Jordan. He says, ‘Hey man, you think I’m stupid? I know you f***** with my b****,‘”  “Jordan looks like he just saw a ghost,” Hollway added. “Mike telling everyone he’s going to bust Jordan’s a**. Jordan’s dressed sharp as always and he can’t get out of there fast enough.”

Holloway further revealed that Tyson, who was drinking heavily during that celebration, exposed the worst side of his personality and the situation got heated pretty quickly. However, Jordan was able to pull himself out of the situation before an actual fight could break out between Tyson and himself. He wanted no part in the fight and, later, he married his first wife Juanita Vanoy in 1989. Givens and Tyson ended up splitting the same year too. 

In recent news, Tyson had a vague response when he was asked if he considered Jordan the greatest basketball player of all time. "The wholeness and the determination," he told Club Random with Bill Maher. "The willingness to sacrifice. You only do that [being the greatest] by sacrifice. Only sacrificing can make you the best in the world. Nothing else. You have to sacrifice." According to the Sports Bible, Jordan had spoken about the obstacles he faced in his career to reach the heights of fame in the sport. "If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks," he admitted. "I've had them, everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, and work around it."