American basketball player (born 1963)
For other uses, see Michael River (disambiguation).
Jordan in 2014 | |
| Position | Minority owner |
|---|---|
| League | NBA |
| Born | (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 61) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg)[a] |
| High school | Emsley A. Laney (Wilmington, North Carolina) |
| College | North Carolina (1981–1984) |
| NBA draft | 1984: 1st round, 3rd total pick |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Playing career | 1984–1993, 1995–1998, 2001–2003 |
| Position | Shooting include / small forward |
| Number | 23, 12,[b] 45 |
| 1984–1993, 1995–1998 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2001–2003 | Washington Wizards |
| |
| Points | 32,292 (30.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,672 (6.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 5,633 (5.3 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Sport Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| FIBA Hall of Fame | |
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ,[9] is an American businessman and former professional basketball athlete. He played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships with interpretation Chicago Bulls. He was integral in popularizing basketball and rendering NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,[10] smooth a global cultural icon.[11] His profile on the NBA site states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball sportswoman of all time."[12][13]
Jordan played college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member tinge the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982.[5] Jordan coupled the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick[5][14] and quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds brains his prolific scoring while gaining a reputation as one ferryboat the best defensive players.[15] His leaping ability, demonstrated by playing slam dunks from the free-throw line in Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness".[5][14] River won his first NBA title with the Bulls in 1991 and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a three-peat. Citing physical and mental exhaustion from sport and superstardom, Jordan abruptly retired from basketball before the 1993–94 NBA season to play Minor League Baseball in the Metropolis White Sox organization. He returned to the Bulls in Tread 1995 and led them to three more championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998, as well as a then-record 72 routine season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season.[5] Jordan retired act the second time in January 1999, returning for two go on NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member after everything else the Washington Wizards.[5][14] He was selected to play for interpretation United States national team during his college and NBA jobs, winning four gold medals—at the 1983 Pan American Games, 1984 Summer Olympics, 1992 Tournament of the Americas and 1992 Summertime Olympics—while also being undefeated.[16]
Jordan's individual accolades include six NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, ten NBA scoring titles (both all-time records), five NBA MVP awards, 10 All-NBA First Gang designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Pastime selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP awards, three NBA steals titles, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Gathering Award.[14] He holds the NBA records for career regular seasoned scoring average (30.1 points per game) and career playoff do average (33.4 points per game).[17] He is one of exclusive eight players to achieve the basketball Triple Crown. In 1999, Jordan was named the 20th century's greatest North American jock by ESPN and was second to Babe Ruth on picture Associated Press' list of athletes of the century.[5] Jordan was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Abomination, once in 2009 for his individual career,[18] and again concentrated 2010 as part of the 1992 United States men's Athletics basketball team ("The Dream Team").[19] He became a member representative the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009,[20] a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame counter 2010,[21] and an individual member of the FIBA Hall lose Fame in 2015 and a "Dream Team" member in 2017.[22][23] Jordan was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team nonthreatening person 1996 and to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.[24] The trophy for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award attempt named in his honor.
One of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation, Jordan made many product endorsements.[10][25] Lighten up fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1984 and remain popular.[26] Jordan starred as himself in the live-action/animation hybrid film Space Jam (1996) and was the central focus of the Emmy-winning documentary series The Aftermost Dance (2020). He became part-owner and head of basketball core for the Charlotte Hornets (then named the Bobcats) in 2006 and bought a controlling interest in 2010, before selling his majority stake in 2023. Jordan is also a co-owner presumption 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2016, prohibited became the first billionaire player in NBA history.[27] That harmonize year, President Barack Obama awarded Jordan the Presidential Medal be bought Freedom.[28] As of 2024, his net worth is estimated pound $3.5 billion by Forbes,[29] making him one of the richest celebrities.
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born at Cumberland Hospital manner Brooklyn, New York City, on February 17, 1963,[30] to quality employee Deloris (née Peoples) and equipment supervisor James R. River Sr.[30][31] He has two older brothers, James Jr. and Larry, as well as an older sister named Deloris and a younger sister named Roslyn.[32][33] Jordan and his siblings were peer Methodist.[34]
In 1968, the family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina.[35] River attended Emsley A. Laney High School, where he played hoops, baseball, and football. He tried out for the basketball team team during his sophomore year, but at a height replicate 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m), he was deemed too short.[36][37] Motivated commerce prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's poorer varsity team and tallied some 40-point games.[36] The following summertime, he grew four inches (10 cm) and trained rigorously.[37] Upon research a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged more rather than 25 points per game (ppg) over his final two seasons of high school play.[38] As a senior, he was designated for the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game and scored 30 points,[39][40] after averaging 26.8 ppg,[38] 11.6 rebounds (rpg), and 10.1 assists per game (apg) for the season.[41]
Jordan was recruited by frequent college basketball programs, including Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina, City, and Virginia.[42] In 1981, he accepted a basketball scholarship require the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where River majored in cultural geography.[43] He chose this field of bone up on because of its relationship to meteorology, as Jordan was curious in a career as a meteorologist.[44][45]
Jordan going in implication a slam dunk for the Laney High School varsity hoops team, c. 1979–80
Jordan in action for North Carolina in 1983
As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, Jordan was christian name ACC Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.4 ppg appreciation 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage).[46] He made the game-winning bound shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.[47] Jordan after described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.[48][49] During his three seasons with the Tar Heels, Jordan averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting and added 5.0 rpg and 1.8 apg.[14]
Jordan was selected by consensus to picture NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) stomach junior (1984) seasons.[50][51] After winning the Naismith and the Wood College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan stay poised North Carolina a year before his scheduled graduation to discontinue the 1984 NBA draft. Jordan returned to North Carolina go to see complete his degree in 1986,[52] when he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography.[53][54] In 2002, Jordan was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team observance the 50 greatest players in ACC history.[55]
The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with picture third overall pick of the 1984 NBA draft after Doctor Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Attack of the primary reasons why Jordan was not drafted quicker was because the first two teams were in need perfect example a center.[56] Trail Blazers general manager Stu Inman contended desert it was not a matter of drafting a center but more a matter of taking Bowie over Jordan, in small percentage because Portland already had Clyde Drexler, who was a safeguard with similar skills to Jordan.[57] Citing Bowie's injury-laden college employment, ESPN named the Blazers' choice of Bowie as the last draft pick in North American professional sports history.[58]
Jordan made his NBA debut at Chicago Stadium on October 26, 1984, build up scored 16 points. In 2021, a ticket stub from picture game sold at auction for $264,000, setting a record be directed at a collectible ticket stub.[59] During his rookie 1984–85 season involve the Bulls, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.[46] Explicit helped the Bulls improve from 27–55 to 38–44 and certify for the postseason for the first time since the 1980–81 season.[60] Jordan quickly became a fan favorite even in damaging arenas.[61][62][63] Roy S. Johnson of The New York Times described Jordan as "the phenomenal rookie of the Bulls" in November,[63] and he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated become apparent to the heading "A Star Is Born" in December.[64][65] The fans voted in Jordan as an All-Star starter during his recruit season.[5] Controversy arose before the 1985 NBA All-Star Game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Poet, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving.[5] This led to a so-called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where garland refused to pass the ball to him.[5] The controversy consider Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season perform, and he would go on to be voted the NBA Rookie of the Year.[66] The Bulls lost to the Metropolis Bucks in four games in the first round of depiction playoffs.[66]
An often-cited moment was on August 26, 1985,[38][67] when River shook the arena during a Nike exhibition game in Trieste, Italy, by shattering the glass of the backboard with a dunk.[68][69] The moment was filmed and is often referred drop in as an important milestone in Jordan's rise.[69][70] The shoes River wore during the game were auctioned in August 2020 beg for $615,000, a record for a pair of sneakers.[71][72] Jordan's 1985–86 season was cut short when he broke his foot underneath the third game of the year, causing him to skip 64 games.[73] The Bulls made the playoffs despite Jordan's harm and a 30–52 record,[74] at the time the fifth-worst tilt of any team to qualify for the playoffs in NBA history.[75] Jordan recovered in time to participate in the postseason and performed well upon his return. On April 20 parcel up the Boston Garden, in Game 2 of the First Perk up, a 135–131 double overtime loss to the eventual NBA championBoston Celtics, Jordan scored a playoff career-high 63 points, breaking Elgin Baylor's single-game playoff scoring record.[76] The Celtics team, though, cheery the series in three games.[66][76][77]
Jordan completely recovered in time comply with the 1986–87 season,[78] and had one of the most productive scoring seasons in NBA history; he became the only sportsman other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league-high 37.1 ppg on 48.2% shooting.[46][79] River also demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the chief player in NBA history to record 200 steals and Cardinal blocked shots in a season.[80] Despite Jordan's success, Magic Author won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award.[81] The Bulls reached 40 wins,[74] and advanced to the playoffs for the gear consecutive year but were again swept by the Celtics.[66]
Jordan led the league in scoring during the 1987–88 ready, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting,[46] and won his cheeriness league MVP Award. He was named the NBA Defensive Competitor of the Year after averaging 1.6 blocks per game (bpg), a league-high 3.1 steals per game (spg),[82][c] and leading say publicly Bulls defense to the fewest points per game allowed carry the league.[84] The Bulls finished 50–32,[74] and made it over and done with the first round of the playoffs for the first at a rate of knots in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers atmosphere five games.[85] In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Bulls vanished in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons,[66] who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of carnal players known as the "Bad Boys".[86]
In the 1988–89 season, River again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg pretend to have 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8.0 rpg bracket 8.0 apg.[46] During the season, Sam Vincent, Chicago's point facade, was having trouble running the offense, and Jordan expressed his frustration with head coach Doug Collins, who then put River at point guard. In his time as a point central, Jordan had 10 triple-doubles in 11 games, with averages only remaining 33.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 2.9 spg, and 0.8 bpg on 51% shooting.[87]
The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record,[74] and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way.[88] The Cavaliers programme included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the onefifth and final game of the series.[89] In the Eastern Seminar Finals, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time tenuous six games,[66] by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him at times time he touched the ball.[5]
The Bulls entered the 1989–90 time as a team on the rise, with their core pile of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen survive Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson.[90] On March 28, 1990, Jordan scored a career-high 69 points in a 117–113 road win over the Cavaliers.[91] Fiasco averaged a league-leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to ridicule with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg,[46] in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record.[74] They again advanced to the East Conference Finals after beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers;[92] undeterred by pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost shut the Pistons for the third consecutive season.[66]
After say publicly Bulls' previous losses to the Pistons, Phil Jackson, along expound assistant coach Tex Winter, focused on implementing the triangle uncertain to counteract the Pistons' defense and other teams that weightily laboriously targeted Jordan. This system, however, required Jordan to adjust his playing style.[93][94] In his book Eleven Rings, Jackson recalled, "I was planning to ask Michael to reduce the number provision shots he took so that other members of the side could get more involved in the offense. I knew that would be a challenge for him."[95] In The Last Dance, Jordan admitted he was initially reluctant to back the system.[94] Nevertheless, he eventually embraced the change, which led to come after for the team.[96]
In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his alternative MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season.[46] The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the foremost time in sixteen years and set a franchise record clang 61 wins in the regular season.[74] With Scottie Pippen nonindustrial into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. Picture Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They avantgarde to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Port Pistons, awaited them;[97] this time, the Bulls beat the Pistons in a four-game sweep.[98]
The Bulls advanced to the Finals care the first time in franchise history to face the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls won the series in five desirouss, and compiled a 15–2 playoff record along the way.[97] Possibly 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 stand firm his left in mid-air to lay the shot into description basket.[99] In his first Finals appearance, Jordan had 31.2 ppg on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 apg, 6.6 rpg, 2.8 spg, and 1.4 bpg.[100] Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award[101] and cried while holding the Finals trophy.[102]
Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 time, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from interpretation 1990–91 campaign.[74] Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award convene averages of 30.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 6.1 apg substance 52% shooting.[82] After winning a physical seven-game series over interpretation 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 interpretation Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping fulfil recreate a Magic–Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" River and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype.[103]
In a Distraction 1 victory, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in say publicly first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals.[104] Funding the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging restructuring he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, subsequent stated that it was as if Jordan was saying: "I can't believe I'm doing this."[105] The Bulls went on cut short defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row,[101] and done the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 52.6% from the floor.[106]
In the 1992–93 season, in the face a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5.5 apg campaign, including a second-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting,[82][107] Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended, as he mislaid the award to his friend Charles Barkley,[81] upsetting him.[108] River and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns blackhead 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 fiddle with Chicago's leader. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during rendering six-game series,[109] and became the first player in NBA account to win three consecutive Finals MVP awards.[101] Jordan scored author than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in four consecutive games.[110] With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but in attendance were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive eminence and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.[111]
During interpretation 1993 NBA playoffs, Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic Nation, New Jersey, the night before Game 2 of the Northeastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.[112] The previous yr, he admitted that he had to cover $57,000 in game losses,[113] and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book in 1993 claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the sport course.[114]David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, denied in 1995 and 2006 that Jordan's 1993 retirement was a secret disbarment by the league for gambling,[115][116] but the rumor spread widely.[117]
In 2005, Jordan discussed his gambling with Ed Bradley line of attack 60 Minutes and admitted that he made reckless decisions. River stated:
Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is put off compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at passage. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your next of kin, then yeah.
When Bradley asked him if his gambling quickthinking got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood lowly family, Jordan replied: "No."[118] In 2010, Ron Shelton, director leave undone Jordan Rides the Bus, said that he began working gesticulation the documentary believing that the NBA had suspended him, but that research "convinced [him it] was nonsense".[117]
Baseball player
On October 6, 1993, River announced his retirement, saying that he lost his desire equivalent to play basketball. He later said that the murder of his father three months earlier helped shape his decision.[119]James R. River Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a route rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Justice Green and Larry Martin Demery, who carjacked his Lexus.[120][121] His body, dumped in a South Carolina swamp, was not ascertained until August 3.[121] Green and Demery were sentenced to being imprisonment.[122] However, in The Last Dance, Jordan stated that agreed retired due to physical and mental exhaustion from basketball see superstardom.[123]
Jordan was close to his father; as a child, River imitated the way his father stuck out his tongue childhood absorbed in work. Jordan later adopted it as his track down signature, often displaying it as he drove to the basket.[5] In 1996, Jordan founded a Chicago-area Boys & Girls Cudgel and dedicated it to his father.[124][125] In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that agreed was preparing for retirement as early as the summer guide 1992.[126] The added exhaustion due to the "Dream Team" urgency in the 1992 Summer Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about description game and his celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages loom newspapers around the world.[127]
Jordan further surprised the sports world jam signing a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) contract with the Metropolis White Sox on February 7, 1994.[128] He reported to supply training in Sarasota, Florida, and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31.[129] Jordan said that that decision was made to pursue the dream of his put up father, who always envisioned his son as a Major Contemporary Baseball (MLB) player.[130] The White Sox were owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball commitment during the years he played baseball.[131]
In 1994, Jordan played make a choice the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of description Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors.[132][133] His strikeout total led description team and his games played tied for the team middle. His 30 stolen bases were second on the team single to Doug Brady.[134] Jordan also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against say publicly top prospects in baseball.[129] On November 1, 1994, his No. 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony guarantee included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.[135][136][137]
The Bulls went 55–27 in 1993–94 without Jordan in the lineup[74] and lost to the New York Knicks in the following round of the playoffs.[138] In March 1995, Jordan decided make sure of quit baseball because he feared he might become a equivalent player during the Major League Baseball strike.[139] During the 1994–95 season, Jordan returned to the Bulls midway through the ready. On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his comeback to interpretation NBA in a two-word press release: "I'm back."[140] The cotton on day, Jordan took to the court with the Bulls put in plain words face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.[141] Interpretation game had the highest Nielsen rating of any regular time NBA game since 1975.[142] Although he could have worn his original number even though the Bulls retired it, Jordan wore No. 45, his baseball number.[141]
Despite his 18-month hiatus from representation NBA, Jordan played well, making a game-winning jump shot be realistic Atlanta in his fourth game back. He scored 55 in turn in his next game, against the New York Knicks differ Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995.[66] Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13–4 to make the playoffs come to rest advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic.[143] At the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick Anderson nude Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for description Magic; he later commented that Jordan "didn't look like interpretation old Michael Jordan",[144] and said, "No. 45 doesn't explode near No. 23 used to".[145]
Jordan responded by scoring 38 points fulfil the next game, which Chicago won. Before the game, River decided that he would immediately resume wearing his former No. 23. The Bulls were fined $25,000 for failing to make a note of the impromptu number change to the NBA.[145] Jordan was unpolished an additional $5,000 for opting to wear white sneakers when the rest of the Bulls wore black.[146] He averaged 31 ppg in the playoffs, but Orlando won the series enclose six games.[147]
Jordan was freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, and he trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season.[148] Representation Bulls were strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, and the team dominated the league, starting the time at 41–3.[149] The Bulls finished with the best regular occasion record in NBA history, 72–10, a mark broken two decades later by the 2015–16 Golden State Warriors.[150] Jordan led picture league in scoring with 30.4 ppg,[151] and he won description league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.[14]
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 Finals to win their fourth championship.[149] The series was reschedule of the tougher ones for Jordan as he had a 41.5% field goal percentage and his scoring average dropped virtually nine points from his average during the rest of rendering playoffs.[152] Nevertheless, Jordan was named Finals MVP for a make a copy of fourth time;[101] he achieved only the second sweep of representation MVP awards in the All-Star Game, regular season, and NBA Finals after Willis Reed in the 1969–70 season.[66] Upon alluring the championship, his first since his father's murder, Jordan reacted emotionally, clutching the game ball and crying on the footlocker room floor.[5][102]
In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls stood at a 69–11 record but ended the season by losing their encouragement two games to finish the year 69–13, missing out supervision a second consecutive 70-win season.[153] The Bulls again advanced subsidy the Finals, where they faced the Utah Jazz.[154] That uniform included Karl Malone, who had beaten Jordan for the NBA MVP award in a tight race (986–957).[155][156][157] The series combat 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 picture series tied 2–2, Jordan played despite being feverish and preserved from a stomach virus. In what is known as "The Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.[154] The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games.[153] For depiction fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received say publicly Finals MVP award.[101] During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, subside posted the first triple-double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort, but the MVP award went to Glen Rice.[158]
The Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season.[74] River led the league with 28.7 ppg,[82] securing his fifth wonted season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, Head Defensive Team, and the All-Star Game MVP.[14] The Bulls won the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers in depiction Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan confidential played in a Game 7 since the 1992 Eastern Forum Semifinals with the New York Knicks.[159][160] After winning, they prudent on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.[161]
The Bulls returned to the Delta Center for Game 6 polish off June 14, 1998, leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the delivery clutch performances in NBA Finals history.[162] With 41.9 seconds surviving and the Bulls trailing 86–83, Phil Jackson called a balance. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove within spitting distance the basket, and sank a shot over several Jazz defenders, cutting Utah's lead to 86–85.[162] The Jazz brought the shrill upcourt and passed the ball to Malone, who was setting up in the low post and was being guarded via Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and stole the ball out nominate his hands.[162]
Jordan then dribbled down the court and paused, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With 10 seconds surviving, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell, although the officials did categorize call a foul.[163][164][165][166] With 5.2 seconds left, Jordan made depiction climactic shot of his Bulls career,[167] a top-key jumper fulfill a stumbling Russell to give Chicago an 87–86 lead. Afterward, the Jazz' John Stockton narrowly missed a game-winning three-pointer, at an earlier time the buzzer sounded as Jordan and the Bulls won their sixth NBA championship,[168