Michael Jordan didn’t believe in load management, even when he was violently ill.
Jordan addressed the topic of NBA players missing games in the second installment of a series that NBC is calling “MJ: Insights to Excellence,” which aired Tuesday night between games of a doubleheader on the network.
Asked by interviewer Mike Tirico what he thought of the notion of load management, Jordan didn’t hold back.
“Well, it shouldn’t be needed, first and foremost,” Jordan said. “You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that I felt like the fans are there that watch me play. I want to impress that guy way up on top who probably worked his [butt] off to get a ticket or to get money to buy the ticket.”
Jordan even said that rule applied to the people who came to games to cheer against him.
“Yeah, because I know he’s probably yelling at me and I want to shut him up,” Jordan said. “You know, he’s calling me all kinds of names. I definitely want to shut him up. … You have a duty that if they’re wanting to see you, and as an entertainer, I want to show. Right?”
Jordan told the story of playing through a sprained ankle early in his career because he wanted to make a name for himself. And many basketball fans — especially those in Utah — remember what he did in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
Jordan says he believes he was dealing with a case of food poisoning on June 11, 1997, the day of Game 5 of that series against the Jazz. He was very sick and bedridden until about 90 minutes before game time, then didn’t even bother with a traditional warmup. Commonly called “The Flu Game,” Jordan scored 38 points, led Chicago to a win that put the Bulls one win away from the NBA title, then collapsed onto the chest of teammate Scottie Pippen.
“I was going to find a way to get out there, even if I was a decoy,” Jordan said. “Well, once I got out there, you never know how — pushing yourself — you never know what happens, right? … Next thing you know, the emotions, the situation, the need of the team. All those things catapulted me to, ‘I’m going to gut this thing out.'”
Jordan and the Bulls went on to win that title, then beat the Jazz in the Finals again in 1998 after Jordan hit a jumper over Utah’s Bryon Russell with 5.2 seconds left in the series-deciding Game 6 to help clinch the crown. Jazz fans still insist that Jordan pushed off on the play to create the space he needed for the shot.
The Jazz have not forgotten. A wireless network in Utah’s arena, as recently as Monday, still carries the name “JordanPushedOff” — an obvious nod to that famous play.
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