Michael Jordan still knows what makes players tick. How else to explain the manner in which the Hornets owner lured Lance Stephenson away from the Pacers?

Yes, the three-year, $27 million deal helped, but so did Jordan playing to the ultra-confident Stephenson’s ego.

“We need someone that can compete against LeBron. Simple as that,” Jordan told the 24-year-old Coney Island product, according to an interview this week with ESPN. “I don’t know if the antics was one of those things, but the thing is, I loved the way you competed against LeBron. And to me that’s a plus ’cause if you want to get out of the East, you want to get past Cleveland — at the time it was Miami — you got to beat LeBron.

“We’re willing to take a gamble with you if you are willing to take a gamble with us. Next thing you know, he’s with us.”

Stephenson, a fifth-year pro coming off his best season, and James have battled each other the last two years in the playoffs. This past May, in the Eastern Conference finals, Stephenson tried to get inside James’ head by saying he has a weakness, was fined $15,000 for flopping on two separate occasions, snuck into the Heat huddle, committed a flagrant foul on Norris Cole and blew air into James’ ear. James also led the Heat to a sweep of Jordan’s Charlotte team to to open the playoffs, which was highlighted by this dunk and stare at Jordan.

“If I feel like he’s going the wrong way that is when I will step in, like most parents do, and say, ‘Look you need to focus on this and think about that,’“ Jordan told AP.