Michael Jordan did not believe in load management, even when he was very ill.
Jordan addressed the topic of NBA players missing games in the second installment of the series, which NBC is calling “MJ: Insights to Excellence,” which aired between games of a Tuesday night doubleheader on the network.
Asked by interviewer Mike Tirico what he thought about the concept of load management, Jordan didn’t hold back.
“Well, there shouldn’t be a need for it in the first place,” Jordan said. “You know, I never wanted to miss a game because it was an opportunity to prove. It was something that made me feel like there were fans out there watching me play. I wanted to impress the guy at the top who probably did his job. [butt] To get tickets or to raise money to buy tickets.”
Jordan even said that this rule applies to people who come to cheer against him at games.
“Yeah, because I know he’s probably yelling at me and I want to shut him up,” Jordan said. “You know, he’s been calling me all kinds of names. I definitely want to shut him up. … You have a duty to show up if they want to see you, and as an entertainer, I want to show up. Okay?”
Jordan told the story of playing despite 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 ill 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, leading Chicago to victory that left 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 out of there, even if I was a fraud,” Jordan said. “Well, once I get 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 motivated me, ‘I’m going to finish this thing.'”
Jordan and the Bulls won that title, then defeated the Jazz again in the Finals in 1998, when Jordan hit a jumper over Utah’s Brian Russell with 5.2 seconds remaining in the series-deciding Game 6 and helped clinch the crown. Jazz fans still insist that Jordan extended the play to create the necessary space for the shot.
Jazz has not been forgotten. As recently as Monday, a wireless network in the area of Utah was still named “JordanPushedOff” — an obvious nod to that famous play.
