“Michael Jordan went out there and single-handedly beat the Warriors”: Chris Mullin narrates how the retired Bulls legend dominated their practice as Don Nelson watched

Akash Murty | 02/10/2021
“Michael Jordan went out there and single-handedly beat the Warriors”: Chris Mullin narrates how the retired Bulls legend dominated their practice as Don Nelson watched

Chris Mullin describes the time when Michael Jordan was looking to come out of retirement and scrimmaged with the Warriors.

The Warriors’ Legend was cooling off of an injury-ridden season and wasn’t participating in practice but clearly remembers the onslaught by Jordan.

This was when the Bulls legend had retired from the NBA after winning 3-straight Championships from 91-93 and decided to play Baseball and was playing in the Major league Baseball.

Also read: “Michael Jordan was tired of all the hype and attention”: Ahmad Rashad reveals he wasn’t surprised with the Bulls legends’ decision to play baseball

Michael Jordan announced “I’m back” by destroying the Warriors wearing Chris Mullin’s gear

NBC Sports Chicago, in a preview of their documentary, focused on Jordan’s return to the league titled “I’m Back”, released a clip of Chris Mullin sharing a story of when Jordan dropped by a Warriors practice session.


“I was injured at the time so I do remember Michael coming down to practice and we’re basically the same size, the same sneaker size,” Mullin said.

“I think we had Tim Hardaway and Latrell Sprewell at that point in time. They might have been popping off a little bit. Michael said, ‘Mully, let’s go, get me your gear.’”

Tim Hardaway and Latrell Sprewell were among the league’s best guards at the time, but when Jordan gets his tongue out there is barely anything one could do.

“He went to my locker, put my gear on, and went out there and basically single-handedly beat the Warriors down by himself,” Mullin recalled.

“That’s when I was like, this guy is coming back.”

Around this time Chicago Bulls were struggling to even make the playoffs, having a 31-31 (W-L) record. After getting “His Airness” back in the mix they went 13-4 making the playoffs.

Also read: “My father is 5’10 but the milkman is about 6’7”: When Michael Jordan joked about how he really got to be the tallest of the Jordan bunch with David Letterman

Although Bulls could not go past EC semifinals in those playoffs, they would go on to win the next 3-NBA Championships, courtesy: Air Jordan.

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Chicago Bulls Chris Mullin Golden State Warriors Michael Jordan

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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