Michael Jordan is one of a kind. His era with the Bulls is widely considered by many as the greatest dynasty in NBA history. At the peak of his career, every fan in the world was eager to get just a peek at Jordan. Chicago Bulls sold tickets like hotcakes. It wasn’t easy to get your hands on one even when you were a player. While Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant would receive just 4 extra tickets for a legendary playoff series in Chicago. But MJ received tenfold more than his teammates.
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Michael Jordan obviously had more pull than Scottie or Grant. After all, Jordan was a global phenomenon. He was the one people from around the world were coming to watch. Of course, he would get preferential treatment. But Jordan knew he had to keep it a secret.
Michael Jordan would hide in a hockey locker room to get his tickets
Roland Lazenby, the author of Michael Jordan: The Life, wrote in detail about this hustle for tickets. In 1991, the Bulls were set to face the Lakers in the Finals. The epic showdown of MJ vs Magic Johnson attracted crowds from around the globe.
With such a rush to get tickets, it wasn’t easy to find spare ones. But Jordan wanted 40 of them, so he hid in a hockey locker room and waited for the team’s ticket manager.
Lazenby: “One of the biggest issues was finessing Jordan’s requests while keeping Pippen and Grant happy, O’Neil explained. “I remember going into the locker room telling Scottie and Horace and the guys, ‘You get four extra tickets for the game. Don’t ask me for any more. There are no more tickets. That’s it. Four tickets for everybody.’ Then I’d hand Michael a packet of like forty.” The issue grew so large that O’Neil told Jordan to hide his tickets from his teammates. Finally, the ticket manager began meeting Jordan surreptitiously, in a hockey locker room in Chicago Stadium, to give him the tickets.”
Scottie Pippen and MJ are not cordial anymore
Once legendary teammates, Scottie Pippen and the $2.2 billion worth Michael are not on talking terms anymore. It all changed after the release of The Last Dance.
Pippen was pissed by the portrayal of him in the documentary and began a public tour to attack Jordan. Whether or not his campaign to call out Michael Jordan has been successful is up for debate. But one thing is for sure, things will never improve between the two.