June 11, 1997: A physically depleted Jordan scores 33 in Game 5 of the Finals in what will be known as The Flu Game.. For added measure, he went 16 of 18 at the free throw line, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Bulls could not recover from this as Dominique Wilkins and Reggie Theus added 20 points and 18 points respectively with the latter also getting a game-high 10 assists. Jordan and team lacked the firepower to put up a fighting display. Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to never score less than 20 points in any of his Finals games but that is just one reason that every time the greatest player ever never once. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Robert Horry won seven championships through his time with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. (March 30, 1982), OTHER GREATS: UCLA's Bill Walton | Michigan State's Magic Johnson | Indiana State's Larry Bird, Michael Jordan on height: "I always wanted to be tall. That is one fabulous piece of statistic! March 18, 1995: Jordan rejoins the Bulls with a two-word fax: Im back.. He could also have played in 1996 but chose not to do so. Then he had eight points (in only 16 minutes off the bench right after coming back from foot injury) in game No. (Nov. 22, 1983), North Carolina teammate Matt Doherty: "He's a perfect player. Christ University. After a 22-point performance against Tulsa, the reigning NIT champion, in early December of his freshman season, The Charlotte Observer's Kevin Quirk wrote, "It was Michael Jordan's kind of game lots of opportunities in the open court to flash his offensive prowess Good things and some great were interspersed with those errors. His legendary career includes six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls but his national championship-winning ways started as a freshman at North Carolina, when he hit the most important shot in the 1982 NCAA title game. Jordan eventually led the Bulls to six NBA titles (1991-1993, 1996-1998). Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Seven of Russell's teammates in Boston have seven or more championships. us, High School: Bryant playing in his first All-Star game refused to back down from Jordan, scoring a team-high 18 points and often defending the Bulls great in isolation. 19) Jordan shot 49.7 percent from the floor for his career. Jan. 19, 2000: Jordan becomes part owner and team president of the Washington Wizards. He played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where he helped that team win an NCAA championship in 1982 and also won gold at the Pan American Games in the same year. Michael Jordan only missed one game after coming back from baseball. Feb. 7, 1994: Jordan signs a contract to play baseball for the Chicago White Sox. All rights reserved. The Tar Heels won the 1982 national championship when Jordan was a freshman, thanks to his game-winning jumper against Georgetown. With that, Sporting News wanted to run down the timeline of their meetings, highlighting some of the best games and moments, and how they shaped their respective careers: Jordan: 10 of 32 shooting (30 points), 10 of 14 free throw shooting, nine rebounds, three assists, Bryant (reserve): 2 of 5 shooting (five points), 0 of 2 free throw shooting. Emsley A. Laney in Wilmington, North Carolina, Draft: After playing baseball in 1994, Jordan returned to the Bulls on , and he only missed one game for the rest of his Chicago career. Chicago Bulls, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 1984 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2009 (Full List), More Michael Jordan pages at Sports Reference. On Feb. 14, 1990 Jordan scored 49 points wearing No. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk combine for 54 as the Kings win over the Warriors 118-99 to force a Game 7. Nine of these points came in the last quarter as he missed 16 shots out of 20 taken. He's got a lot to learn, but he can be an outstanding player." He did experience a break in between his two three-peats i.e. Michael embarrassed the Celtics with a 50-point-game at home on 18th March 1988, but he was kept to a meager 26 points on return to the Celtics' home on 20th March 1988. 8) Jordan is the only player to win an NBA title, NCAA title and multiple Olympic gold medals. Shoots: International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, View all Jordan high school, amateur, and exhibition games, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. The Bulls won three straight NBA championships from 1991-93 and three more from 1996-98. Do you have a blog? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 1 North Carolina overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit against No. Required fields are marked *. Jordan became the team's leading scorer as a sophomore. Phoenix had NBA MVP Charles Barkley, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 41 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists for the series. He's a very quick learner. It added to the. Feb. 6, 1988: Defeats Dominique Wilkins in the NBA dunk contest in Chicago. Michael Jordan needs no introduction to basketball fans but for the uninitiated, Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan lost 11 times in the NBA Finals in his career. He is among the best athletes of the modern era. ESPN's 10-part documentary, "The Last Dance,"concludes Sunday, chronicling the Chicago Bulls'dynasty in the 1990s and detailing the franchise's NBA championship runs with Michael Jordan. ", Buzz Peterson: "It's not just basketball. 6) Jordan was named first-team All-Defense nine times. Your email address will not be published. Out of these seven years of playoff defeat, Michael lost 3 in the first round, 2 in conference semi-finals, and 2 in conference finals. They had winning streaks of 13 and 18 games and only once lost consecutive games, to the Nuggets and Suns on an early February trip West. It was a game Michael Jordan would like to forget for his individual performance, along with all the Bulls on the roster. How many championships did Michael Jordan win? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Lakers vs. Warriors: What scouts expect in playoff series, Kentucky Derby storylines: Training death puts early pall over Churchill Downs. Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: Accolades and awards. 1 Alabama and No. Here's wishing you a very vintage March Madness and may all your dreams of a perfect bracket come true. He averages 22.9 points in 60 games in his first season back. The young boy from North Carolina won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1985. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Join our linker program. Michael Jeffrey Jordan (Mike, Air Jordan, M.J., For a time, it looked as if Jordan's final All-Star Game would be his worst; he missed his first seven shots. Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the series. His final 60-point game came in January 1993 against the Magic, who beat the Bulls thanks to 29 points and 24 rebounds by rookie Shaquille ONeal. Pavni Ahuja is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. I want them to know that I'm there the entire game.". Please logout and login again. I wanted to grow up to be what Michael Jordan grew up to be. Michael Jordan Finals Stats Michael Jordan's numbers in the NBA Finals. 12 on a loss to the Magic. June 5, 1991: Playing in his first NBA Finals, Jordan rises up in the paint to dunk, switching hands midair for an acrobatic layup against the Lakers. Jordan said he didn't see the actual shot go in. (Dec. 26, 1981), Smith: "Michael is a late bloomer. Sept. 11, 2009: Jordan is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, delivering a scathing speech of the people who doubted him. Aug. 10, 1984: Scores 20 points in gold-medal game in the L.A. Summer Olympics. But, in typical Jordan fashion, he rebounded to keep the game competitive and naturally had the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Mike, Air Jordan, M.J., His Airness, Money, Black Cat, Mr. June, G.O.A.T., Superman, Captain Marvel, Black Jesus are nicknames for Michael Jordan. With teammate Sam Perkins having a relatively sub-par night, it took Jordan, another freshman, to shoulder the load. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Thats the largest percentage of team points any player has been responsible for in a single NBA Finals. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The exception? Here you have his stats in the Finals. Chicago Bulls went on to win the Championship this season with a regular season record of 57-25, defeating Phoenix Suns in the finals. Throughout his career, he led his team to victory and rescued them on various occasions. June 19, 1984: Selected No. Jordan hit 19 points in the first half which was just under half of his team's points. Look at his defense. Turning to professional basketball after his junior year in college, he became the greatest player in the NBA (National Basketball Association). Jordan, in what would be his final All-Star game pre-retirement, proved he was still the best in the game with 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds while leading the East to a 134-114 win. 23) Including the regular season and playoffs, Jordan had five 60-point games. 90. Limiting Jordan this season wasn't an easy task but he picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter with his team reeling the Celtics by just two points (75-73) before he was subbed. Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls during the 1997 McDonalds Championship. I never thought that could happen. Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. People said I'd go there and sit the bench and never get to play. Can Rudy Gobert-less Jazz keep pesky Nuggets off the glass? Jordan led the final NBA championship run that is being chronicled in"The Last Dance." 12 on a loss to the Magic. The Jazz had NBA MVP Karl Malone, but the Bulls won the series in six games behind Jordan, who averaged 32.3 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Shooting Guard and Small Forward June 14, 1998: Jordan scores 45, including a title-winning jumper after he nudges Utahs Byron Russell before burying an open shot. The Charlotte Observer's Kevin Quirk wrote this in a"Who's up, who's down for ACC tournament" story from March 1984, Jordan's junior season. He improves every month. (Error Code: 102006) Who had the most wins as a favorite last season? Explore This video cannot be played because of a technical error. Michael Jordan played six NBA Finals in his 15-year career. The first four meetings between Jordan and Bryant were not, shall we say, clashes between titans (Bryant wouldnt face Jordan as a starter for the first time until the 1998 All-Star game). I didn't want to look." Jordan scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting with a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win. On the medal stand, Jordan is draped in the American flag, covering the Reebok logo on his team-issued warmup jacket. Two days later, he scored 45 points which remains the most any player has ever scored on New Years Eve, regardless of age. Yet by the time Bryant had come into his own in the league, Jordan had undergone his three-year retirement before rejoining with the Wizards.