NBA champion Rip Hamilton has revealed how he was once ripped apart by basketball legend Michael Jordan.

The shooting guard was Jordan’s teammate with the Washington Wizards in 2001-02, soon after he joined the NBA and the Hall of Famer had returned from retirement.

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Rip Hamilton and Michael Jordan were teammates at the Washington WizardsCredit: Getty

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MJ told Hamilton he was not good enough to wear Air Jordan sneakersCredit: AFP

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Hamilton went on to become an All-Star with the Detroit PistonsCredit: Getty
Jordan was known for his savage putdowns of teammates and opponents alike.

And the Chicago Bulls icon devastatingly told a young Hamilton that he was not good enough to wear his Air Jordan sneakers.

“Me and a couple of the young guys would come up to him and say, ‘Hey Mike, what you think about putting us in the [Jordan Brand] collection?'” Hamilton recalled on ESPN’s The Jump.

“And he’d look at me and say, ‘Hey, Rip – my sneaker’s for All-Stars’.”

Hamilton did not let Jordan’s acidic comments get him down.

After moving to the Detroit Pistons in 2002, Hamilton won the NBA title in 2004 and made three All-Star teams.

He added: “After I made the All-Star team I said, ‘hey, M, now I’m an All-Star, now you’ve got to put me in that sneaker and now you’ve got to pay me the big bucks.”

Hamilton eventually became an Air Jordan athlete and in 2019 he got his own signature shoe with the Jordan 14 Rip Hamilton PE.

“There’s nothing like getting your first Jordan shoe with your name on it. That’s my No. 1,” Hamilton told CBS Sports.

“Come on, man. You couldn’t dream of anything better than that.”

Hamilton had a 14-year career in the NBA, retiring with the Bulls in 2013.

He is currently a basketball analyst for CBS Sports.