By the time the 1991 NBA Dunk Contest rolled around, Michael Jordan had set his sights on bigger things—he was already a six-time NBA All-Star, and would win his first championship later that year—but that didn't stop him from taking issue with the contest's winner, rookie Dee Brown.
In the first episode of ESPN's new Dunkumentaries podcast, Brown shared an incredible story about being confronted by Jordan after the event. As Brown recalls, he found himself locked outside in a hotel's alleyway during an after party, but he wasn't alone. Jordan was also there with security in tow, and decided to talk a little trash (in classic MJ fashion) to Brown, who had famously won the contest in a pair of Reebok Pumps.
"[Jordan] goes,"“Hey, you did a great job out there, young fella. Nice show you put on. But, you know you started the shoe wars," Brown said. "I go, 'What does that mean?'"
Brown was so caught up in the excitement of his Dunk Contest win that he didn't realize he had unwittingly sparked a rivalry between Reebok and the Swoosh. "You started shoe wars. Now, as much as I want to crush you on the court, I gotta crush you off the court," Jordan told him.
And we all know how it turned out from there. Listen to the full podcast here.
