“It’s a sense of respect from them, I feel very privileged that I’m the first player to do that”: Michael Jordan on becoming the first player to receive over 2 million all-star game votes

NBA legend Michael Jordan reacts to becoming the first player to receive over 2 million all-star game votes. 

Michael Jordan’s popularity is unattainable. Though it’s been almost two decades since he retired, MJ continues to make headlines. Surprisingly, the Bulls legend has zero social media presence yet is known in even the remotest parts of the world.

A generational athlete, Jordan put the NBA on the global map and one of the first few players to feature in commercials and feature films. Thus opening-up additional sources of revenue for the upcoming generations in the NBA. According to Forbes, MJ shares a net worth of $2.6B.

One of the prime examples of his popularity is the 1997 All-Star weekend. The Bulls MVP became the first player in NBA history to account for 2 million votes. The year, Jordan was coming off his fourth championship and Finals MVP and was on a quest for his second 3-peat.

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It marked MJ’s eleventh All-Star selection, the east prevailed over the west, and Jordan had a triple-double in the game. The final score read 132-120 in favor of the east, and Glen Rice was the MVP.

Michael Jordan responds to receiving two million votes for the All-Star game.

MJ recorded over 2.4M votes, while his All-Star teammates Penny Hardway, Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, and Patrick Ewing, had above 1M votes each. A historic feat for his Airness, at the time, when there was no social media and limited access to the internet.

When asked about the historic landmark, MJ had the following to say.

“It’s a sense of respect from them. I think, you go out and play the game as hard as you can, and try to entertain the people who watch the game, and I think it’s a signification of their entertainment. I feel very privileged that I’m the first player to do that. Hopefully, I can go out there and continue to play well and respect the fans.” 

In his 15-year career, MJ made 14 All-Star appearances and was the Finals MVP three times. The Bulls superstar was a one-of-a-kind, and there will be no other Jordan. His Airness gave us so many moments of absolute brilliance on the hardwood.

Jordan held this record for several years till 2018 when LeBron James dethroned him, having 2.6M votes. Since then the votes for King James have only multiplied. His last selection having over 5M votes.

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