Steve Kerr Explains How Fistfight With Michael Jordan Changed Their Relationship

Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr notoriously got into a training camp brawl in 1995.

The fight will likely be discussed in an upcoming episode of the Bulls and Jordan doc, The Last Dance.

For now, Steve Kerr told Ernie Johnson how the incident, which left him with a black eye, improved his relationship with the GOAT.

“I feel like I passed the test and he trusted me more afterwards.”@SteveKerr discusses how a practice altercation with MJ helped grow their relationship on #NBATogether pic.twitter.com/yUwghEt513

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 23, 2020

"I would say it definitely helped our relationship, and I know that sounds weird. I wouldn't recommend that to anybody at home. I think that it has to be understood under the context of intense competition. One thing that was more prevalent back then than now was the intensity of practice," Kerr explained, adding he thinks it's probably better these days when teams take it more easy during practices. 

"My point is practices were really intense and they were a large part of the Bulls and Michael setting a standard of our play  So practice fights, not only on that team -- there were probably three a year on that team -- on every team I played on in the late 80s and 90s there were a few practice fights. It was a lot of competition and things would get out of hand, and it was not really a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But for me in that case, Michael was definitely testing me and I responded and I feel like a kind of passed the test and he trusted me more."

Although Kerr got the worst of the fight, he did get some punches in.  Jordan called him an hour after the incident to apologize, and Kerr said their relationship immediately went from almost non-existent to positive.