Michael Jordan was once dubbed one of the three most famous personalities on the planet at the peak of his career. The 6x NBA champion had earned a superstar status within years of starting his NBA career, which often made other people starstruck upon meeting him. Such was the experience of 3x Super Bowl winner Shannon Sharpe, who met MJ and his ex-wife Juanita Vanoy for the first time in 1993.

Credit – USA Today Sports

In a recent appearance on his show Nightcap, Sharpe described his first encounter with His Airness at the Super Bowl XXVII in Atlanta. As Sharpe entered an elevator, he saw Michael Jordan and his then-wife Juanita Vanoy in there. The former NFL star described seeing a glowing aura around the Chicago Bulls legend, which made him at a loss for words. His Airness almost seemed surreal to him.

At first, Sharpe feared that Jordan would find him to be ‘a weirdo’ for staring at him for so long. However, when Sharpe took the opportunity to introduce himself, Jordan politely replied, “I know who you are. I met your mom in the casino. I know you and your brother, y’all some bad boys!” 

Well, meeting Michael Jordan for the first time was enough of an awe-inspiring experience for Shannon Sharpe. Being in the presence of arguably the greatest American sporting icon, Sharpe could not contain his excitement describing the moment to his co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.

“To see Michael Jordan- Ocho, and I tell people this. This man doesn’t seem real. He’s the only man that I’ve ever met, he seems mythical. I know that’s Michael Jordan, I’m looking at him, that’s a man,” Sharpe told Johnson, barely being able to contain his excitement.

“But Ocho, there’s something about- Man! he levitate! And anybody that’s ever met him, everybody say the exact same thing- he doesn’t seem real!” he added.

By the time Sharpe had met Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend was already a two-time back-to-back NBA champion. Though Sharpe currently supports LeBron James in the ongoing GOAT debate, he never denies Jordan being one of the greatest players in the history of basketball and the NBA.

Shannon Sharpe advocates for LeBron James over Michael Jordan in the GOAT debate

Shannon Sharpe has strongly advocated for LeBron James to be the GOAT over Michael Jordan. In many of his appearances as an analyst, particularly during his time at Fox’s Undisputed, Sharpe has engaged in heated debates with fellow analyst Skip Bayless, arguing the case for LeBron James.

One of Sharpe’s main arguments is the amount of criticism James has dealt with since starting his career in the NBA. Being from the social media generation, James continued performing his best despite being under extreme scrutiny from his high school days.

At the age of 38, LeBron James remains the oldest active player in the league, leading the all-time record for career points.