Malik Monk caught the ire of Charlotte Hornets team owner Michael Jordan on Wednesday night. Monk ran out onto the court after Jeremy Lamb hit a go-ahead bucket with 0.3 seconds left on the clock. Monk was called for a technical, which allowed the Hornets to cut the deficit to one.
Since Charlotte was up by two, the technical foul didn't cost the Hornets, but Jordan wasn't happy with the second-year player's mental mistake. He gave Monk a light slap on the back of the head following the play:
Michael Jordan gave Malik Monk a little slap for running on the court too early 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/bkEDux8LAu
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) December 13, 2018
The hilarious moment was caught on tape, but he felt the slap was a “tap of endearment.” Monk didn't want to make a big deal of the moment despite Jordan's obvious frustration following the technical foul:
“I don't know, he hit a shot, he just smacked me in the back of the head. It ain't really — he didn't say nothing, it wasn't really nothing. I don't know how to explain what you see with the media and all that, but it's nothing. Ain't nobody worried about that.”
Malik Monk on the end of Wednesday’s game and Michael Jordan’s “Tap of endearment.” pic.twitter.com/6r3ihy66v6
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) December 13, 2018
Monk was downplaying the moment and clearly isn't dwelling on it. Jordan was clearly frustrated with Monk, but this isn't a huge deal. Monk's youthful exuberance got the better of him, but it didn't cost Charlotte the game. No harm, no foul.
Furthermore, Monk is only a 20-year-old who figures to be a big part of the future in Charlotte. Monk and the Hornets can live with this type of mistake as long as it isn't something that continues. Perhaps Michael Jordan smacked some sense into Malik Monk so it won't.
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