Country music legend Kenny Rogers died on Friday night at the age of 81 due to natural causes. This news resulted in many of his fans searching for old video clips in which he performed his songs live. Some sought out one of his greatest athletic endeavors: the time he scored on Michael Jordan during the Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend, a three-day fundraising festival held at Rogers’ Beaver Dam Farm in Georgia.
Footage surfaced of Rogers’ feat on Saturday morning as several fans posted clips on Twitter. The game in question was a three-on-three matchup in which the country legend was on a team with former Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins. Jordan slammed down a dunk to start the action, but Rogers followed up with a play that many fans viewed as even more impressive. He caught a pass from Wilkins, pump-faked the future NBA Hall of Famer, and then nailed the shot without even leaving his feet.
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Kenny Rogers once scored on Micheal Jordan
Enough said pic.twitter.com/I1GUYTfVlX
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) March 21, 2020
Longtime Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn was on the call, and he fired up the crowd with his description, saying, “Kenny Rogers puts Jordan in the popcorn machine and hits a 21-footer.”
“Love how mj was still maniacally competitive in this charity game. Making sure he could score his last two to win the game. Huge fist pump at the end. Rip #thegambler,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
Jordan’s team did secure the victory in the 22-20 battle, and he was the one that scored the game-winning layup.
Rogers actually had another follow-up score that involved Jordan, albeit one that didn’t involve faking out arguably the greatest NBA player of all time. A member of the white team tried to sink a shot late in the game, but Jordan swatted the ball away and showed why he was the defensive player of the year for the 1987-88 season. However, the ball landed right in Rogers’ arms, and he simply tossed the ball up and into the basket for another score.
Despite being on the losing end of the three-on-three game, Rogers still impressed the fans during this game. The simple fact that he faked out Jordan was slightly stunning, but then he followed it up by easily sinking the 21-foot shot. Although some individuals just respected that his hair and beard never moved during the celebrity game.
(Photo Credit: John Shearer/Getty Images for CMT)
