After returning from his first retirement, Michael Jordan’s 1995 off-season was about as busy as they came. The then-three-time NBA champion was filming Space Jam over the summer while preparing for his first full season of basketball in two years.
Advertisement
To accommodate His Airness, Warner Brothers constructed a state-of-the-art basketball facility in the VIP parking lot at the studio. Designed by Mike’s trainer, Tim Grover, the Jordan Dome boasted a regulation-sized court, a putting green, weights, showers, and a card table.
All that remained was for MJ to find NBA-level competition to practice with. Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Tracy Murray, and Kris Johnson were among the players who answered the clarion call.
Comedian Bill Bellamy, who was also filming at the Warner Brothers studio that summer, recalled his memory of the iconic bubble. “I did not realize how competitive Michael Jordan was until I was in that bubble. Like, he cannot lose, he don’t want to lose on nothing,” Bellamy said on Dwyane Wade’s podcast.
“There was a kid in that gym that hit Mike with a move that was so crazy, Mike’s whole head hit the ceiling. He was coming down on the fastbreak. He did an up-fake hesi push and left Mike. Mike went to the roof,” the 59-year-old revealed.
Fans of the Black Cat already know that the five-time MVP wouldn’t take kindly to being upstaged. Bellamy also learned about MJ’s competitive drive in the next play.
“Mike say, ‘Give me the ball!’ He went for 12 buckets in a row,” the comedian recalled. “Everybody was staring cause it was so crazy. He was doing everything. Dunks, fadeaway, off the glass, nothing but bottom, three. I was like, ‘Yo, man, Mike is crazy.’”
Coming off his first playoff loss since 1990, Jordan was intent on returning to the mountaintop that summer. And it showed in his incredibly rigorous routine.
Reggie Miller was stunned by Michael Jordan’s schedule
After participating in just 17 regular season and 10 playoff games in 1994-95, MJ was itching for more time on the hardwood. He didn’t want to let go of the opportunity of filming Space Jam, so he found a way of squeezing in his off-season workouts while making the blockbuster film.
However, as Reggie Miller later recalled, it led to some ridiculously long days for Jordan. “Most of our pickup games began around 7 p.m. and lasted until 10. His call time on set the next morning would be around 5 or 6 a.m.,” the Indiana Pacers legend revealed.
As Eastern Conference rivals, Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller didn’t approach the games with any off-season nonchalance either. Kris Murray, who was also invited to join the Jordan dome, shared that the two regularly “went at it”.
Mike’s being so competitive and energetic after 12 hours of filming spoke to his otherworldly work ethic. After putting in the hours all summer, the Black Cat had much to celebrate in 1996, lifting his 4th NBA championship and celebrating the release of Space Jam.
