Most of the NBA community is familiar with Dominique Wilkins through his incredible highlights, which usually included many spectacular dunks. That was not the only trait he displayed because Nique was a tremendous scorer throughout his career in the NBA and Europe.

Wilkins went toe to toe with Michael Jordan during the ‘80s as a dunker and scorer. They fostered a friendship but were also rivals in more ways than one. Dominique has recalled what it was like going against Jordan, especially since they brought out the best in each other.

“We had plenty of rivalries, of all the guys I played against, Michael Jordan was the most fun one,” Nique said on The Dan Patrick Show in 2022. “I was excited to play against him. It was fun to go against a great player like him, of course, the competitive levels are on a whole other level, we wanted to kick each other’s butt, there was no question about that. We had some fierce games that we played against each other throughout our careers.”

Nique and Michael kept clashing with each other

As two of the most exciting players of the ‘80s, Wilkins vs Jordan was always the topic for NBA media. They were superb athletes who could jump out of the gym, but they both had a natural knack for scoring. Both star players were always near the top of the scoring charts, which made every matchup a must-watch for NBA fans during those years.

Add the Slam Dunk Contest rivalry, leading to most of the NBA watching Bulls vs Hawks games. Thankfully, they were in the Eastern Conference, so they played against each other often. Unfortunately for Nique, MJ had a significant lead in the head-to-head matchups, as Jordan won 30 games while Wilkins won the other 18.

Despite his losing record, Wilkins kept up with him in the numbers. Jordan averaged 31.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game, while Nique was close behind with 29.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

Those numbers show MJ and Nique’s dynamic because they brought out the best in each other. They competed well against each other, but unfortunately for Nique, MJ was the better and more versatile player.

Every star player deserves a rival

Nique and Michael were superstars during the ‘80s and helped each other improve. They wanted to beat each other at any cost while improving their skills along the way. Having a rival star makes superstars succeed, as proven by the likes of Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West vs Oscar Robertson, and others.

Michael had plenty of rivals, but the most prominent ones were Dominique and Clyde Drexler. All three were prototypical athletic wings, but they became better players because they motivated each other to be better all-around players. Wilkins talked about how fun it was playing against Jordan, which motivated the Hawks legend to keep playing well.

“Against one another we averaged over 30 a game against each other. When I say fun, that’s the atmosphere, that’s what basketball was all about,” Wilkins continued.