Since time immemorial, it has been a ritual that the winning team in the NBA Finals visit the White House. But, back in 1991, some players in the Chicago Bulls locker room were skeptical about the visit. In particular, Michael Jordan suggested he had no intention of visiting the White House. In fact, with the Bulls just one game away from winning the championship, it became a real possibility. And, as revealed in the book, The Jordan Rules, MJ planned on roping in head coach Phil Jackson, jokingly claiming both he and Phil hadn’t voted for George Bush.
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Unfortunately for the rest of the Bulls roster, this joke turned into reality. Following his first-ever championship win, His Airness was nowhere to be seen at the team’s White House visit. Something his teammates weren’t too happy about. But, given he had technically informed them beforehand, can anyone actually blame him?
Michael Jordan joked about not attending the White House visit one game before winning the 1991 NBA Championship
In 1991, the Chicago Bulls were one game away from beating Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers and winning their first NBA Championship. It was a huge deal, considering it would be Michael Jordan’s first title as well. And, it’s safe to say that both MJ and the Bulls were confident.
However, while he was excited about getting his first ring, Jordan wasn’t too excited about what would come after. His Airness was not keen on the White House visit. A ritual that almost every NBA Champion follows. So, he began joking about the prospect.
One particular instance occurred on the team bus. Jordan jokingly stated that he had no intention of attending the visit. He even suggested that “PJ” or Phil Jackson wouldn’t be attending either. After all, Michael wasn’t exactly politically inclined and Jackson was a Democrat. Meaning a visit to the seat of power of President George Bush wasn’t something they were interested in.
“‘Hey, P.J.,’ Jordan yelled mockingly from the back. ‘I ain’t goin’ to no White House. I didn’t vote for that guy. I know you didn’t vote for him.’ Jackson said he hadn’t voted for George Bush either, for Jackson said he wasn’t really a member of any organized political party, he was a Democrat. ‘Well, you won’t go either, right, P.J.?’ Jordan yelled. ‘You’ll join me. We ain’t going to no White House.'”
On This Date: Michael Jordan won his first NBA championship and started his dominant run in the NBA Finals 🐐 pic.twitter.com/aWul6oeQh7
— ESPN (@espn) June 12, 2019
For the most part, his Bulls teammates laughed it off. As far as they were concerned, this was a joke. However, when MJ actually didn’t show up for the visit, it’s safe to say they were quite peeved.
MJ chose to play golf rather than visit President Bush at the White House
Just as he had joked, Michael Jordan was not to be seen at the Bulls’ White House visit in 1991. A decision that left President George Bush feeling quite disrespected. So, what was MJ doing at the time? Well, on paper, he claimed he had a “family obligation” to attend to. And, while his teammates were annoyed, there was nothing much they could do.
However, years later it was revealed that he was busy gambling on the golf course with Slim Bouler. A man who would be pivotal in tearing up His Airness’ squeaky clean image.
His absence made him the first NBA Champion to snub the White House visit. And, his decision had grave consequences, seeing as it took just a few months for his reputation to take a huge hit.
