“What do you mean winners get double money?!”: When Michael Jordan found out the winning share is double at All-Star Games, and recorded the first ever ASG triple-double

Raahib Singh
|PublishedFeb 18, 2022

"What do you mean winners get double money?!": When Michael Jordan found out the winning share is double at All-Star Games, and recorded the first ever ASG triple-double

Bulls’ legend Michael Jordan is one of the biggest competitors in the world, something which drove him to excellence

In 1997, the NBA was celebrating its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, it took out a list of Top-50 players all-time and honored them with jackets at the All-Star Game. Michael Jordan was among one of the players receiving this great honor.

#NBAAllStar by the numbers: 5️⃣0️⃣

The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History were honored at halftime of the 1997 All-Star Game. Each of those players was recently named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, a group of 76 players will be honored at the 2022 All-Star Game. pic.twitter.com/81DGroKjsG

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) February 17, 2022

The same would happen soon on Sunday, as the NBA would honor the players included in the Top-75 list for their 75th anniversary.

Back in 1997, The East beat the West 132-120. It was all thanks to Michael Jordan. He etched the first-ever triple-double in the All-Star Game history to secure the win.

The first NBA player to record a triple-double in an All-Star game was Michael Jordan in 1997. (14 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists). pic.twitter.com/lmtD7X1OiF

— See Red Fred (@cbefred) September 7, 2021

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“We get extra money if we win?!”: Michael Jordan made NBA History while competing to win at the 1997 All-Star Game

The 1997 All-Star Games at Cleveland was the 46th ever All-Star Game to be played. In all 46 years, no player had ever recorded a triple-double at the event. It makes sense, with 24 of the best players in the league competing, it is next to impossible to put up a single-handed display. However, in 1997, Michael Jordan did just that. His motivation for the same? The extra money winning at the game gets you.

Being down 23 in the 2nd quarter, MJ learned from Doug Collins that winners get more money. Well, that was motivation enough for him.

Michael Jordan didn’t know that the winners got more money at the 1997 All-Star Game until Doug Collins tells him in a huddle.

MJ flips the switch, erases a 23-point deficit, records the first triple-double in ASG history and collects the bag. 😂😂😂https://t.co/IS0eLQZqYo pic.twitter.com/EGnkjRNo8B

— Gordon Voit (@GordonVoit) July 17, 2020

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Coming out of the timeout, people saw a different MJ. He recorded 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, as he recorded the first-ever triple-double in the ASG history.

Just goes to show how MJ was a beast who could turn things around just by flipping a switch!

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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