WATCH: Throwback To Country Legend Kenny Rogers Putting Michael Jordan “In The Popcorn Machine”

It’s all about the fundamentals.

In the modern age, it can be easy to think that you’ve been fooled by the internet. And in all honesty, it’s better to be hesitant when you see something questionable online. No one would blame you if you scoffed at the idea of a video out on the world wide web showing basketball legend Michael Jordan being bested by country music great Kenny Rogers.

However, I can assure you that this video is absolutely real, and hasn’t been edited, modified, or AI-generated in any way.

Back in the day (the 1980s, to be more specific), Kenny Rogers used to host something called the “Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend.” The singer-songwriter would invite professional athletes, musicians and TV stars to his 1,200-acre Beaver Dam Farm in Athens, Georgia for a three-day fundraising extravaganza.

The event, which had televised portions, pitted athletes, artists and actors against one another in competitions that included golf, tennis, fishing and most famously, basketball. Rogers had a little half court basketball arena set up, and teams that were chock-full of stars would compete against each other.

Kenny Rogers’ Classic Weekend may have peaked in 1988, when the “Through The Years” singer got the likes of Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan to all come to his ranch in Georgia and participate in the contest. And this probably isn’t surprising to hear… but the 3-on-3 games they played were a heck of a lot more competitive than the modern day NBA All-Star game.

That’s made evident by this footage from the celebrity basketball game in 1988 (that actually aired on ABC).

Los Angeles Lakers play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn was on the call as the teams of Red, White, Blue and Green took turns playing against one another. Thomas was the star of the Blue team, Bird was the Green team’s best player, Jordan fittingly led the Red team, and Wilkens – alongside Kenny Rogers – acted as the star power for the White team.

And as you’ll see in the clip below, the country music singer clearly had some experience on the basketball court. He legitimately got Michael Jordan to jump on a pump fake, then stepped forward and drained a mid-range jumper. Rogers was grinning ear to ear afterwards… while the great MJ definitely seemed to take it personally.

Later in the clip, you’ll see Michael Jordan really turn it on and proceed to score and block shots at will. Not even a great wraparound pass from Kenny Rogers was enough to fool Air Jordan. Rogers and the White team eventually lost to Jordan and the Red team, which set up a game for all the marbles between Larry Bird and MJ.

What more could you ask for? And how crazy is it to think that this was all going down on Kenny Rogers’ property in Athens, Georgia. You probably wouldn’t ever see something like this in the modern day… so that’s why it’s worth a throwback:

Funny to think that Michael Jordan gambled on trying to block Kenny’s shot, and that’s a joke that works on two different levels (Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” and MJ’s famous gambling habits). Thank you very much…