Michael Jordan explains how the turning point for the Chicago Bulls came during the 3rd game of his rookie season, when his team successfully came back from a 16-point deficit, defeating Milwaukee Bucks 116-110.
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Michael Jordan is easily one of the greatest players the league has ever witnessed. Apart from being one of the most impactful players, the Chicago Bulls guard was considered a basketball god. Till today, fans rave about his insane gameplay and achievements.
Clearly, Jordan was not only the best basketball player but was a worldwide sporting icon, leaving everyone in awe of his game. And over the course of his 1,072-game career, Mike built up such an impeccable resume, making it difficult to not consider him the GOAT. Michael has 14 All-Star appearances, 10 Scoring titles, 11 All-NBA selections, 6 NBA championships, 6 Finals MVP and 5 league MVPs under his belt.
In his illustrious 15-year career, Jordan had several notable moments. His first championship, his Father’s Day performance, the Shrug, the flu game, his career-high 69 points against the Cavs, his final championship, the Dream Team are just a few to name. However, surprisingly, none of these iconic moments are his “peak” moments with the Bulls franchise.
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Michael Jordan picks an early game of his career as his “peak moment” with the Chicago Bulls
Of all the numerous highlights of his majestic career, Michael Jordan picked his 3rd ever game as his “happiest memory” with the organisation that drafted him. Back in 2005, a few years after his third and final retirement, His Airness sat down for an interview with Cigar Aficionado and spoke about an early incident from his career.
Marvin R. Shanken asked MJ: “Do you have a happiest memory or a peak moment when you were playing with the Chicago Bulls?”
Jordan answered:
“My happiest moment? There were so many. Do you want me to start early in my career? Making the playoffs the first time was the biggest thing for me because that franchise hadn’t experienced the playoffs in a long, long time. The fans’ attitude was “wait until next year, wait till next year.”
“In the third game of my career, we were playing Milwaukee. And we were down 16 points going into the fourth quarter. People started to leave. That was their whole attitude. The game was over. I’d never experienced people leaving a game like that. It was something new. Everybody at North Carolina stayed until the end of the game, out of respect to the team.”
“Most of my teammates in Chicago had adapted to the fans leaving and just figured, The game must be over. I’m saying, No, it’s not over until there are triple zeros on the scoreboard. I got a burst of energy and started to lead the charge. I got the opportunity to prove it’s never really over.”
“We came from 16 points down to win the game. That’s when the city of Chicago started to say, OK, something’s starting to happen, something is changing. There’s no give-up in this kid, no matter what. He’s going to keep fighting and fighting and fighting until we win or lose. That’s how my first season went. That was the biggest plus for me when we made the playoffs that”
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In that particular game, Mike put up an incredible 37-point performance to go along with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, leading the Bulls to overcome a huge deficit to win the contest 116-110. And keep in mind this was a young 21-year-old, playing only his third-ever game as a pro. Clearly, there is and might not be any other player quite like Michael Jordan.
