[9]

Michael Jeffrey Jordan OLY (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an
American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the
official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player
[10]
of all time." He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA),
winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the principal owner and
chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.
[11]
He was integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,
[12]
becoming a global cultural icon in the process.
Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North
Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship
[5] [5][13]
team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and
quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring while gaining
[14]
a reputation as one of the game's best defensive players. His leaping ability, demonstrated
by performing slam dunks from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the
[5][13]
nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". Jordan won his first NBA title with the Bulls
in 1991, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat.
Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the 1993–94 NBA season to play Minor League
Baseball but returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and led them to three more championships
in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 regular season wins in the 1995–96 NBA
[5]
season. He retired for the second time in January 1999 but returned for two more NBA
[5][13]
seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include six NBA Finals Most Valuable
Player (MVP) awards, ten NBA scoring titles (both all-time records), five NBA MVP awards,
ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA
All-Star Game selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, three NBA steals titles, and
[13]
the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for career
regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and career playoff scoring average
(33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the 20th century's greatest North American
athlete by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press' list of athletes of
[5]
the century. Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,
[15]
once in 2009 for his individual career, and again in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States
[16]
men's Olympic basketball team ("The Dream Team"). He became a member of the United
[17]
States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009, a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
[18]
in 2010, and an individual member of the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015 and a "Dream Team"
[19][20] [21]
member in 2017. In 2021, Jordan was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
[11]
One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, Jordan is known for his
[22]
product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were
[23]
introduced in 1984 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred as himself in the 1996
live-action animation hybrid film Space Jam and is the central focus of the Emmy
 [24]
Award-winning documentary miniseries The Last Dance (2020). He became part-owner and
[23]
head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats (now named the Hornets) in 2006,
and bought a controlling interest in 2010. In 2016, Jordan became the first billionaire player in
[25]
NBA history. Also in 2016, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of
[26] [27]
Freedom. As of 2022, Jordan's net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion.
Contents
● 1
● Early life
●
● 2
● College career
●
● 3
● Professional career
○ 3.1
○ Chicago Bulls (1984–1993; 1995–1998)
■ 3.1.1
■ Early NBA years (1984–1987)
■
■ 3.1.2
■ Pistons roadblock (1987–1990)
■
■ 3.1.3
■ First three-peat (1991–1993)
■ 3.1.3.1
■ Gambling
■
■ 3.1.4
■ First retirement and stint in Minor League Baseball (1994–1995)
■
■ 3.1.5
■ "I'm back": Return to the NBA (1995)
■
■ 3.1.6
■ Second three-peat (1995–1998)
■
■ 3.1.7
■ Second retirement (1999–2001)
■
○ 3.2
○ Washington Wizards (2001–2003)
■ 3.2.1
■ Final retirement (2003)
■
● 4
● National team career
●
● 5
● Player profile
●
● 6
● Legacy
●
● 7
● NBA career statistics
○ 7.1
○ Regular season
○
○ 7.2
○ Playoffs
○
● 8
● Awards and honors
●
● 9
● Post-retirement
○ 9.1
○ Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
○
○ 9.2
○ 23XI Racing
○
● 10
● Personal life
●
● 11
● Media figure and business interests
○ 11.1
○ Endorsements
○
○ 11.2
○ Business ventures
○
○ 11.3
○ Philanthropy
○
○ 11.4
○ Film and television
○
○ 11.5
○ Books
○
● 12
● See also
●
 ● 13
● Notes
●
● 14
● References
●
● 15
● Sources
●
● 16
● Further reading
●
● 17
● External links
●

Early life
Jordan was born at Cumberland Hospital in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, on
[28]
February 17, 1963, the son of bank employee Deloris (née Peoples) and equipment
[28][29]
supervisor James R. Jordan Sr. In 1968, he moved with his family to Wilmington, North
[30]
Carolina. Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he
highlighted his athletic career by playing basketball, baseball, and football. He tried out for
the basketball varsity team during his sophomore year; at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m), he was
deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend Harvest Leroy Smith was the only
[31][32]
sophomore to make the team.
Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity team, and
[31]
tallied some 40-point games. The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm) and
[32]
trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged more than
[33]
25 points per game (ppg) over his final two seasons of high school play. As a senior, he
[34][35]
was selected to play in the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points,
[33] [36][37]
after averaging 27 ppg, 12 rebounds (rpg), and six assists per game (apg) for the
[37][38][39]
season. Jordan was recruited by numerous college basketball programs, including
[40]
Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, Syracuse, and Virginia. In 1981, he accepted a
basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in
[41]
cultural geography.

College career
 Jordan going in for a slam dunk for the Laney High School varsity basketball team, 1979–80

Jordan in action for North Carolina in 1983

As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was named ACC
Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 ppg on 53.4% shooting (field goal
[42]
percentage). He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game
[43]
against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing. Jordan later
[44][45]
described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career. During his three
seasons with the Tar Heels, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rpg and
[13]
1.8 apg.
Jordan was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his
[46][47]
sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the
Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before
his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA draft. Jordan returned to North Carolina to
[48]
complete his degree in 1986, when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
[49]
geography. In 2002, Jordan was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball
[50]
team honoring the 50 greatest players in ACC history.
Professional career

Chicago Bulls (1984–1993; 1995–1998)

Early NBA years (1984–1987)

The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft after
Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). One of the
primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted sooner was because the first two teams were in
[51]
need of a center. Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended that it was not a
matter of drafting a center but more a matter of taking Bowie over Jordan, in part because
[52]
Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a guard with similar skills to Jordan. Citing
Bowie's injury-laden college career, ESPN named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the worst
[53]
draft pick in North American professional sports history.
Jordan made his NBA debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984, and scored 16 points.
In 2021, a ticket stub from the game sold at auction for $264,000, setting a record for a
[54]
collectible ticket stub. During his rookie 1984–85 season with the Bulls, Jordan averaged
[42]
28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting, and helped make a team that had won 35% of games in the
previous three seasons playoff contenders. He quickly became a fan favorite even in
[55][56][57]
opposing arenas. Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times described him as "the
[57]
phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November, and Jordan appeared on the cover of
[58][59]
Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star Is Born" in December. The fans also voted in
[5]
Jordan as an All-Star starter during his rookie season. Controversy arose before the 1985
NBA All-Star Game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas,
[5]
were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so-called
[5]
"freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass the ball to him throughout the game.
The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play,
[60]
and he would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year. The Bulls finished the season
[61] [60]
38–44, and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the first round of the playoffs.
[33][62]
An often-cited moment was on August 26, 1985, when Jordan shook the arena during a
Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, by shattering the glass of the backboard with a
[63][64]
dunk. The moment was filmed and is often referred to worldwide as an important
[64][65]
milestone in Jordan's rise. The shoes Jordan wore during the game were auctioned in
[66][67]
August 2020 and sold for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers. Jordan's 1985–86
season was cut short when he broke his foot in the third game of the year, causing him to
[68]
miss 64 games. The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52
[61]
record, at the time the fifth-worst record of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA
[69]
history. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason and performed well
upon his return. Against a Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in
[70]
NBA history, Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in
[71] [60]
Game 2, but the Celtics managed to sweep the series.
[72]
Jordan completely recovered in time for the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most
prolific scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only player other than Wilt
Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 ppg on 48.2%
[42][73]
shooting. In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the
[74]
first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Despite
[75]
Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls
[61]
reached 40 wins, and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year but were
[60]
again swept by the Celtics.

Pistons roadblock (1987–1990)

Jordan again led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on
[42]
53.5% shooting, and he won his first league MVP Award. He was also named the NBA
Defensive Player of the Year, as he averaged 1.6 blocks per game (bpg), a league-high 3.1
[76]
steals per game (spg), and led the Bulls defense to the fewest points per game allowed in
[77] [61]
the league. The Bulls finished 50–32, and made it out of the first round of the playoffs
for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five
[78]
games. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls lost in five games to the more
[60]
experienced Detroit Pistons, who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical
[79]
players known as the "Bad Boys".
In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8%
[42]
shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 apg. During the season, Sam Vincent,
Chicago's point guard, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his
frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who would put Jordan at point guard. In his time as
a point guard, Jordan averaged 10 triple-doubles in eleven games, with 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg,
[80]
10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bpg on 51% shooting.
[61]
The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals,
[81]
defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included
a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth
[82]
and final game of the series. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons again defeated
[60]
the Bulls, this time in six games, by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding
[5]
Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.
The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan
and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance
[83]
of new coach Phil Jackson. On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a
 [84]
117–113 road win over the Cavaliers. He averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6%
[42] [61]
shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg, in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record. They
again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia
[85]
76ers; despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the
[60]
third consecutive season.

First three-peat (1991–1993)

In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9%
[42]
shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season. The Bulls finished in first place in
their division for the first time in sixteen years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the
[61]
regular season. With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated
their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening
two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival,
[86]
the Detroit Pistons, awaited them; this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game
[87]
sweep.
The Bulls advanced to the Finals for the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles
Lakers, who had Magic Johnson and James Worthy, two formidable opponents. The Bulls
[86]
won the series four games to one, and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way.
Perhaps the best-known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk,
Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his
[88]
left in mid-air to lay the shot into the basket. In his first Finals appearance, Jordan had
[89]
31.2 ppg on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 apg, 6.6 rpg, 2.8 spg, and 1.4 bpg. Jordan
[90] [91]
won his first NBA Finals MVP award, and he cried while holding the Finals trophy.
Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15
[61]
record, topping their franchise record from 1990–91. Jordan won his second consecutive
[76]
MVP award with averages of 30.1 ppg, 6.4 rbg, and 6.1 apg on 52% shooting. After winning
a physical seven-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs
and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in six games, the Bulls met
Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a
Magic–Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide"
[92]
during the pre-Finals hype.
In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a
[93]
record-setting six three-point field goals. After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the
court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated
[94]
that it was as if Jordan was saying: "I can't believe I'm doing this." The Bulls went on to
win Game 1 and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the
[90]
second year in a row, and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg,
[95]
while shooting 52.6% from the floor.
 Jordan in 1992

In the 1992–93 season, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign, including a
[76][96]
second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Jordan's streak of
[75]
consecutive MVP seasons ended, as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley, which
[97]
upset him. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the
1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls won their third NBA championship on a game-winning shot by
John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's
[98]
leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series, and became the
[90]
first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards. He scored more than
30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in four consecutive
[99]
games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he
attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was
[100]
tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.

Gambling

During the Bulls' 1993 NBA playoffs, Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey,
[101]
the night before a game against the New York Knicks. The previous year, he admitted that
[102]
he had to cover $57,000 in gambling losses, and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book in
[103]
1993 claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course. David Stern, the
commissioner of the NBA, denied in 1995 and 2006 that Jordan's 1993 retirement was a
[104][105] [106]
secret suspension by the league for gambling, but the rumor spread widely.
In 2005, Jordan discussed his gambling with Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes and admitted that he
made reckless decisions. Jordan stated: "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I
would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on
how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah."
When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his
[107]
livelihood or family, Jordan replied: "No." In 2010, Ron Shelton, director of Jordan Rides
the Bus, said that he began working on the documentary believing that the NBA had
[106]
suspended him, but that research "convinced [him it] was nonsense".

First retirement and stint in Minor League Baseball (1994–1995)

Michael Jordan

Jordan in training with the Scottsdale

Scorpions in 1994

Birmingham Barons – No. 45, 35

Outfielder

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

Professional debut

Southern League: April 8, 1994, for the

Birmingham Barons

Arizona Fall League: 1994, for the Scottsdale

Scorpions

Last Southern League appearance

 March 10, 1995, for the Birmingham Barons

Southern League statistics

(through 1994)

Batting average .202

Home runs 3

Runs batted in 51

Arizona Fall League statistics

Batting average .252

Runs batted in 8

Teams

● Birmingham Barons (1994–1995)

● Scottsdale Scorpions (1994)

On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, saying that he lost his desire to play
basketball. Jordan later said that the murder of his father three months earlier helped shape
[108]
his decision. James R. Jordan Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area
in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, who
[109][110]
carjacked his Lexus bearing the license plate "UNC 0023". His body, dumped in a
[110]
South Carolina swamp, was not discovered until August 3. Green and Demery were found
[111]
after they made calls on James Jordan's cell phone, convicted at a trial, and sentenced to
[112]
life in prison.
Jordan was close to his father; as a child, he imitated the way his father stuck out his tongue
while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, often displaying it as he
[5]
drove to the basket. In 1996, he founded a Chicago-area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it
[113][114]
to his father. In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that
[115]
he was preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992. The added exhaustion
due to the "Dream Team" run in the 1992 Summer Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about
the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves
[116]
throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.
Jordan further surprised the sports world by signing a Minor League Baseball contract with
[117]
the Chicago White Sox on February 7, 1994. He reported to spring training in Sarasota,
[118]
Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994. Jordan
said that this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who always
[119]
envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player. The White Sox were owned by
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the
[120]
years he played baseball.
In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the
Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114
[121][122]
strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors. His strikeout total led the team and his
games played tied for the team lead. His 30 stolen bases were second on the team only to
[123]
Doug Brady. He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall
[118]
League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball. On November 1, 1994, his No.
23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture
[124][125][126]
known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.

"I'm back": Return to the NBA (1995)

[61]
The Bulls went 55–27 in 1993–94 without Jordan in the lineup, and lost to the New York
[127]
Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. The 1994–95 Bulls were a shell of the
championship team of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the
[128]
playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March; the team received help when
[129]
Jordan decided to return to the Bulls.
In March 1995, Jordan decided to quit baseball because he feared he might become a
[130]
replacement player during the Major League Baseball strike. On March 18, 1995, Jordan
[131]
announced his return to the NBA through a two-word press release: "I'm back." The next
day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring
[132]
19 points. The game had the highest Nielsen rating of any regular season NBA game
[133]
since 1975. Although he could have worn his original number even though the Bulls
[132]
retired it, Jordan wore No. 45, his baseball number.
Despite his eighteen-month hiatus from the NBA, Jordan played well, making a game-winning
jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He scored 55 points in his next game,
[60]
against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995. Boosted by
Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13–4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern
[134]
Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. At the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick
Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he
 [135]
later commented that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan", and said that "No.
[136]
45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to".
Jordan responded by scoring 38 points in the next game, which Chicago won. Before the
game, Jordan decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former No. 23. The
[136]
Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to report the impromptu number change to the NBA.
Jordan was fined an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the
[137]
Bulls wore black. He averaged 31 ppg in the playoffs, but Orlando won the series in six
[138]
games.

Second three-peat (1995–1998)

Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the
[139]
1995–96 season. The Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist
[140]
Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the season at 41–3. The
Bulls eventually finished with the best regular season record in NBA history, 72–10, a mark
[141]
broken two decades later by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors. Jordan led the league in
[142]
scoring with 30.4 ppg, and he won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP
[13]
awards.
In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series (Miami Heat 3–0, New York
Knicks 4–1, and Orlando Magic 4–0), as they defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 4–2 in the NBA
[140]
Finals to win their fourth championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record
[90]
fourth time, surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards; he also achieved only
the second sweep of the MVP awards in the All-Star Game, regular season, and NBA Finals
[60]
after Willis Reed in the 1969–70 season. Upon winning the championship, his first since
his father's murder, Jordan reacted emotionally, clutching the game ball and crying on the
[5][91]
locker room floor.
In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls stood at a 69–11 record but ended the season by losing their
final two games to finish the year 69–13, missing out on a second consecutive 70-win
[143] [144]
season. The Bulls again advanced to the Finals, where they faced the Utah Jazz. That
team included Karl Malone, who had beaten Jordan for the NBA MVP award in a tight race
[145][146][147]
(986–957). The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch
moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In
Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a
stomach virus. In what is known as "The Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the
[144]
game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to
[143]
win the series in six games. For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan
[90]
received the Finals MVP award. During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the
first triple-double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort, but the MVP award went to
[148]
Glen Rice.