In the latest episodes, people have begun to really notice a pattern: MJ creating motivation for himself at any cost. Did you say something to him? He's coming for you. Did you not say anything to him? He's coming for you. The man is a walking Catch-22 of basketball vengeance, which is just spectacular.
Below, take a look at some of the funniest memes to come out of the last few weeks of ESPN's The Last Dance. Hopefully you laugh as much at these as Michael Jordan did at the thought of Gary Payton getting the best of him.
Many have begun noticing the pattern of MJ's self motivation. Seems like there's no real way around, to be honest.
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Opponent: Hi Michael Jordan: "That was all the motivation I needed." ------------- Opponent: Michael Jordan: "And that was all the motivation I needed." Steadman (@AsteadWesley) May 11, 2020
Michael Jordans motivational tactics get more and more ridiculous with each episode: I was getting coffee in Seattle. The barista gave me a medium. I wanted a large. I was like, you think Im a medium? Me? A medium? That was all I needed to burn that city to the ground. DL (@davelozo) May 11, 2020
"he said good game to me." *Michael Jordan pledges to obliterate him* "he walked past me without saying a word." *Michael Jordan pledges to obliterate him* i'm sensing a trend. Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 11, 2020
The whole Last Dance documentary is just someone going He said that to Michael Jordan.......he shouldve never said that Alyssa Limperis (@alyssalimp) May 11, 2020
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someone tell Michael Jordan the coronavirus said it was better than him david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 11, 2020
Not to play Freud, but...
If Michael Jordan would have gotten therapy he would have averaged 4 points a game. stilo (@yungestilos) May 11, 2020
Seriously. There was no way around this man's basketball wrath.
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some things we've learned about Michael Jordan don't taunt him, he will remember it forever and it will motivate him to destroy you don't *not* taunt him, it will allow him to create fictional taunts from you which will be even more effective at motivating him to destroy you Rodger Sherman (@rodger)
Gary Payton really thought he "took a toll" on Michael. Michael did not agree. "The Glove," he said after laughing quite a bit. "I had no problem with the glove. I had no problem with Gary Payton. I had a lot of other things on my mind." That last line, particularly, is incredible, directly after hearing how impassioned Payton sounded just a moment before. You cannot write comedy like this.
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A lot of fun was had with this moment.
Michael Jordan watching Gary Payton talking about how tough he played MJ is my new favorite thing ever. pic.twitter.com/g309YxiUjC Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols)
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Gary Payton: To guard MJ all i had to do was tire him out Michael Jordan: pic.twitter.com/UojKMsQinV ChiseledAdonis (@chiseledadonis)
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me when i realized Michael Jordan only agreed to be interviewed for this film so that we'd meme him doing other things than crying pic.twitter.com/wSPZnfulbi Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) May 11, 2020
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Even other sports got in on it.
The latest episode also touched on Jordan's offseason workout before his first full season back (after his brief run playing baseball): filming Space Jam.
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Make this free throw, ho. Michael Jordan to Bugs Bunny, Space Jam outtake Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 11, 2020
Space Jam wasn't the only movie that got brought into this. ESPN's official SportsCenter account saw a late episode appearance by Reggie Miller (who said he wanted to be the one to take MJ down) and connected it to a movie about another gambler: Uncut Gems .
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We even got a Major League shout out!
In an earlier episode, Jordan watched footage of Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas talking about his own exclusion from the 1992 Olympics "Dream Team." Thomas is believed to have been excluded from this teamwhich also included the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and morebecause of his bad relationship with Jordan.
I dont know what went into that process. I met the criteria to be selected, but I wasnt. Isiah Thomas on #TheLastDance /The Last Dance reaction video meme pic.twitter.com/svl8RX4Jtf all reaction videos (@allreactionvidz)
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Give credit to Isiah Thomas for doing the Last Dance interview even though he knew Jordan had homecourt advantage. We got the most meme-able moment of the documentary thanks to Isiah. pic.twitter.com/foOWxP5Prj J.A. Adande (@jadande)
Is MJ the most memeable man alive? He just might be, folks. He just might be.
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The man is truly one of a kind. If you've ever been a basketball fan, or sports fan in general, I dare you to watch this clip and not get chills.
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