Nick Anderson is not one of the most glamorous names in the history of NBA basketball. Despite being the first-ever draft pick selected by the Orlando Magic franchise, there isn’t much else to talk about his solid yet unspectacular NBA career.
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But going beyond the basics, one might find a reason to associate Anderson with one of the NBA’s greatest teams of all time. No, he wasn’t part of any all-time NBA team. But he may just have been the reason the Chicago Bulls found a reason to destroy what lay in front of them.
Anderson and the Magic had grabbed the league’s attention as the young upstarts who threatened the balance up top. Star center Shaquille O’Neal had established himself as one of the most exciting players in the league. Their surge to such status also collided with the absence of Michael Jordan from the Eastern Conference.
Jordan’s baseball hiatus removed a major roadblock to the top for the Magic. And even upon His Airness’ return, the rust showed for a while and the Magic trounced the Bulls.
It was during the course of this victory that they taunted the sleeping giant. Anderson, in particular, was responsible for the consequences of some unfortunate trash-talk.
Nick Anderson trash-talked Michael Jordan who was fresh off his comeback to the league.
After letting the world know that he was coming back, Jordan was once again at the forefront of the NBA. However, some changes were evident at the beginning of his second innings in the league.
For starters, MJ wasn’t #23 anymore. Jordan had adopted the #45 to kickstart his return to the league. There were signs of rust too. Only natural after a break from the competition. Anderson saw this as a sign of weakness and probably got carried away by the moment. And he did the unforgivable. Anderson trash-talked Michael Jordan.
“He didn’t look like the old Michael Jordan. No. 45 doesn’t explode like No.23 used to” said Anderson during their victory lap against the Bulls. The cardinal sin had been committed. Michael Jordan found a reason to take it ‘personal.’
Anderson realized his folly and took responsibility. However, despite MJ rallying, the Magic ended up with the win. And upon winning, they made yet another mistake to drive the dagger further into their own future chances. The young Orlando Magic team hoisted MJ’s former teammate Horace Grant and celebrated the win in front of Jordan.
And that was it. The rest is history.
Jordan and his Bulls swept the Magic en route to the championship the immediate next season.
In 1995-96, #23 truly announced his return to the league. The “explosion” that #45 was missing was back. The Bulls and Jordan went supernova and set the record for the greatest ever regular season in NBA history.
The 72-10 Chicago Bulls is arguably the greatest team of all time. They carried their regular season dominance to the Playoffs, too, and had a fitting coronation. Their success was only the tip of the iceberg too. Two more championships and their second three-peat followed.
Anderson and the Magic bore the brunt of the revenge too. Jordan was licking his lips at the prospect of meeting the Orlando outfit in the Playoffs. And when the match-up eventually set itself up as the Eastern Conference Finals, a 4-0 sweep followed.
Jordan’s redemption was complete. The Magic went into disarray and were no longer a threat to MJ and his Bulls. Anderson never got a chance to gloat on MJ and ended his career at Memphis in 2002, ringless.
