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Fans have criticised Michael Jordan for refusing to give kids an autograph or even a picture.

There’s no denying that MJ is arguably one of the most-famous athletes to ever walk the face of the earth.

Throughout his decorated career, and even after he retired, Jordan was constantly hounded by the public for either photographs or often autographs.

At 59, he has probably signed millions of pieces of merchandise and taken billions of pictures for his adoring fans throughout the years.

But his latest response to two young kids appears to have people talking online.

The NBA legend was recently spotted in Charlotte by a bunch of supporters who were hoping to catch a glimpse of Hornets star LaMelo Ball.

Instead, the bumped into arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time and decided to ask for an autograph and picture.

“We gonna see LaMelo Ball,” one of them says.

“That is not LaMelo… but it’s Michael Jordan!

“Michael Jordan! Can I get a pic?”

In a clip posted on social media, Jordan can be seen waving away their advances, instructing the kids to move back from him.

It’s hard to make out exactly what he says, but he doesn’t look particularly eager to stick around and quickly gets in his car to drive away.

A bunch of people (clearly with better hearing than us), have speculated that he bluntly told them to “put the camera down” before replying “no” to their requests for a picture.

Upon seeing the clip, some fans have criticised the Chicago Bulls icon for his rather frank response, immediately drawing comparisons the person who rivals MJ in the debate for the greatest in history.

One person commented on Overtime’s video: “LeBron would never.”

While another added: “If LeBron did this, it would be a national crisis.”

A a different user asked: “I never understood this. I get asking them to put the phones down. But you walk over shake their hands, say what up. If there is a huge crowd, sure. But two kids?”

When Clutch Points posted the footage on Instagram, it drew a similar reaction.

NBA Memes commented: “MJ a savage.”

As another said: “Mike Be Tripping On People Who Love Him Most.”

While a third pointed out: “The kid is rocking Jordans too? Smh.”

Some people were quick to leap to Jordan’s defence, arguing with his critics that he wasn’t particularly rude during the exchange.

Regardless, the frosty encounter has bizarrely gone viral on social media, perhaps because one of the kids cheekily asked “where LaMelo at” when he had none other than Michael Jordan standing right in front of him.

During his Last Dance documentary, Jordan gave a fascinating insight into the extreme lows he faced during the height of his fame, particularly in regards to being one of the most famous people in the world and facing constant scrutiny from those in the public.

So to be fair to MJ, who can blame him for turning down one or two pictures, right?