Eminem Once Had a Super Awkward Run-In With Michael Jordan

As yet another example of Michael Jordan's unwavering competitive spirit, Eminem recently shared a story about the time he heard "crickets" after tossing a joke at MJ that didn't land well. 😂

When speaking with Sway for a quarantine update on Friday alongside his longtime manager and ex-CEO of Def Jam Paul Rosenberg, Em said he and MJ were once in discussions about a potential shoe collaboration. An ill-received joke he made to Jordan about dunking on him may have been a chief reason the collab fell apart, though.

via GIPHY

"I don't know, Paul, if you remember this. We were talking about doing some kind of shoe together... Everything was cool, he's super cool, and everything was good until we get to the end of the phone call and I said, 'Yo man when are you gonna come to Detroit so I can dunk on you.' And it was crickets," Em recalled near the interview's 3:30 mark.

"I don't remember exactly what he said, but I think he just kinda like laughed and I remember getting off the phone going, 'Oh my God, I think I might have just blew it.'"

Em went on to explain his thinking behind the joke. "Because to me in my head it was a total joke, right?" he added. "It's so ridiculous for me to think that I could dunk on Jordan, right? So in my head, it's one of those things that you think is gonna be funnier in your head than when you actually say it. So I don't know what happened after that."

Rosenberg, who Eminem called shortly after the incident, remembered him being "mortified," but he was sure to note that the two have done business on several occasions since.

In 2005, Em collaborated with the Jordan brand to create the rare deep blue "Encore" Air Jordan 4 Retro, which was rumored to be limited to just 50 pairs. Over a decade later in 2017, they were reintroduced as part of a partnership with StockX.

If you're a size 11.5 and want these sneakers, good luck. You'll only have to pay over $30,000. 😯