Michael Jordan is one of the most notorious trash talkers in NBA history, which is why the Chicago Bulls‘ 1996 NBA Finals matchup against the Seattle SuperSonics was so interesting.

After all, Jordan was facing off against another prodigious trash talker in Sonics point guard Gary Payton, who is still lauded as one of the best talkers ever. Except, Payton had learned long ago not to rattle Jordan's cage.

Payton recounted a story from his rookie year in 1990, when Jordan made a point of giving GP his “Welcome to the NBA” moment (via Joe Vardon of The Athletic):

“I went at him in the preseason and he didn’t forget it,” Payton said of his first matchup with the Bulls superstar. “We played him for the first time in the regular season. He walked on the court, and I was talking mad, crazy. He only played like 8, 9, 10 minutes in the preseason game, and he went over and told B.J. Armstrong and Pippen, ‘I got the rook. I got him all night.’ He got me in foul trouble real quick. I sat down, he played like 10 minutes of the game, he had like 35 points. He walked over and said, ‘Young fella, preseason ain’t what’s happening. This is what’s up.’ It was like, welcome to the NBA and many more.” (While Jordan scored 33 points that night, in 27 minutes, Payton mustered just two. At least he made the only shot he took.)

Payton would eventually become known as “The Glove” for his exceptional individual defense and sheer grit on that end of the floor. He would also win an NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

However, even Gary Payton learned early on Michael Jordan was not to be trifled with on the hardwood. Oh, and the Bulls would defeat the Sonics in six games in '96, cementing one of the greatest seasons in NBA history.