"His legs were gone" - Phil Jackson on Michael Jordan's condition in Game 6 of 1998 Finals

“His legs were gone” – Phil Jackson on Michael Jordan’s condition in Game 6 of 1998 Finals originally appeared on Basketball Network.

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls endured a series of obstacles en route to the 1998 NBA Finals.

Phil Jackson could tell that the constant pressure and challenges had already taken their toll on Jordan’s body. Nevertheless, the Bulls still managed to be ahead of the competition against their archrivals, the Utah Jazz.

Jordan headed to the Delta Center for Game 6 mentally prepared. However, Jackson couldn’t say the same thing about his star player physically.

Despite not being 100 percent healthy, Jordan went on and played his guts out. As many have anticipated, he stepped up and delivered during the final moments of the game to lift the Bulls to another NBA title.

“Michael hit a layup to make it 86-85 [in favor of Jazz]. And then he came from the backside and stole the ball from Malone,” Jackson vividly recalled. “At that moment, I think we were of one mind. I was waving for him to go downcourt. I think he saw me out of the corner of his eye waving off a timeout. The flow was the right thing at the moment, so we didn’t want to stop.”

“We spread the floor, and Michael waited until Bryon Russell reached for the ball, and then he went up for a jump shot near the free throw line,” he continued. “I was really surprised, because I thought he would take it to the hoop again, because his legs were gone. I didn’t know if he could do it, because he was so tired. But Michael always rises to the occasion. He cleared himself, and you can see in the video that he put extra stuff on the shot, and it was perfect.”

“What a miraculous story”

Jordan did not seem exhausted or in pain when he sank that game-winning shot on Bryon Russell. When the ball went in, all Jackson could think of was how sensational it was for the Bulls to cap off the “Last Dance” with an iconic jump shot from MJ.

The Bulls completed their second three-peat and after the win, Jackson felt a deep sense of fulfillment. He knew Jordan was happy that it was finally over, too. They both savored the moment, thinking they wouldn’t have wanted to close that chapter any other way.

“We hugged at the end. Hard,” Jackson remembered celebrating the Bulls’ sixth NBA championship with Jordan. “I knew it was the end of a lot of things. ‘What an incredible finish,’ I said to Michael. ‘What a miraculous story.'”

Michael wouldn’t do it without Phil

Despite being worn out, Jordan did not want to put an end to the ’90s Bulls dynasty. For him, it wasn’t the right time to rebuild and all signs point to carrying on with the same unit.

By that, Jordan meant including Jackson as still the head coach of the Bulls. He made it clear to the Bulls front office that they could forget about it if Phil wouldn’t be part of the team next season.

Sadly, regardless of all the hard work and effort that Jordan put in during the Bulls’ Last Dance, the organization stuck to its plans and headed in a different direction.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 26, 2025, where it first appeared.

“His legs were gone” – Phil Jackson on Michael Jordan’s condition in Game 6 of 1998 Finals

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