age) and steals (1.83 average). Chicago overcame
the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference
Finals and bested the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Fi-
nals. Jordan set an NBA Finals record by averaging
41 points, becoming the first recipient of three
straight NBA Finals MVP Awards.
Jordan retired from basketball in October, 1993,
citing a diminishing desire to play the game. His
physical exhaustion, ever-growing celebrity, and
gambling episodes, as well as the murder of his fa-
ther, James, may have prompted his departure. In
1994, Jordan played minor-league baseball for the
Birmingham Barons of the Southern League. His
batting struggles and the prolonged strike hastened
his return to the Bulls in March, 1995. The Bulls
erected a twelve-foot bronze statue of Jordan at
their new United Center (replacing Chicago Sta-
dium). They made the playoffs but were ousted
by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference
Semifinals.
Restoring the Bulls’ Dominance The Bulls in 1996
dominated the NBA with a record seventy-two victo-
ries. Jordan became the first player since 1970 to
capture the NBA regular-season, All-Star Game, and
Finals MVP Awards in the same season and took his
eighth NBA scoring title, averaging 30.4 points. Chi-
cago regained the NBA championship by defeating
the Seattle SuperSonics in the six-game NBA Finals,
as Jordan averaged 30.7 points in the postseason.
In 1997, Jordan led the Bulls to sixty-nine wins
and a fifth NBA championship in seven years. He
garnered another NBA scoring title with a 29.6-
point average and tallied his 25,000th career point.
Jordan averaged 32.3 points in the NBA Finals, help-
ing Chicago conquer the Utah Jazz in six games. His
buzzer-beating shot won game one. Despite being fe-
verish and dehydrated from a stomach virus, Jordan
tallied 38 points and converted the game-deciding
three-point shot in the final minute to give the Bulls
a dramatic 90-88 victory in game five.
In 1998, Chicago finished 62-20 and accom-
plished a second three-peat. Jordan was chosen the
NBA All-Star Game MVP for the third time and led
the NBA in scoring for a record tenth time with a
28.7-point average, securing his fifth regular-season
NBA MVP Award. Chicago vanquished Utah in the
six-game NBA Finals. In the series finale, Jordan
enjoyed one of the greatest clutch performances
in NBA Finals history. He stole the ball from Karl
Malone and sunk a dramatic shot with less than
ten seconds left, giving Chicago an 87-86 victory and
its sixth NBA championship. Jordan registered
45 points in that historic game, earning his unprece-
dented sixth NBA Finals MVP Award.
After leaving the Bulls in January, 1999, Jordan
became part owner and president of basketball op-
erations for the Washington Wizards in January,- He played for Washington from 2001 to 2003,
becoming the fourth NBA player to attain 30,000 ca-
reer points, but could not elevate the Wizards to the
playoffs.
Jordan, third on the NBA all-time scoring list, re-
corded 32,292 career points (30.1-point average),
6,672 rebounds, 5,633 assists, and 2,514 steals in
1,072 regular-season games, and 5,987 points (33.4-
point average), 1,152 rebounds, 1,022 assists, and
376 steals in 179 playoff games. The fourteen-time
NBA All-Star made the All-NBA First Team ten times
(1987-1993, 1996-1998) and NBA All-Defensive First
Team nine times (1988-1993, 1996-1998), won the
NBA regular-season MVP five times (1988, 1991,
472 Jordan, Michael The Nineties in America
Michael Jordan.(AP/Wide World Photos)