"It was something to separate myself from Magic and Bird" - Michael Jordan on what Chicago’s first three-peat meant to him

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls achieved the rare three-peat after beating the Phoenix Suns in a nail-biting finish in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals. The competitor inside MJ knew the magnitude of such a milestone, especially when compared to the greats before him, including Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

“Personally, it was something that I was looking forward to to separate myself from Magic and Bird,” Jordan told Bob Costas of NBC. “They never did it and I did it, and that makes me feel special, I believe.”

Bird and Magic had eight titles between them, but neither of them won three in a row. That’s probably because they ran into each other several times on the grandest stage, so one or the other was bound to lose at some point.

Johnson won back-to-back in 1987 and 1988, but a hamstring injury made it nearly impossible for the Los Angeles Lakers to pull off a three-peat in 1989. Meanwhile, Bird captured three rings for the Boston Celtics. However, none of those were done consecutively.

NBA talent in the early ’90s

Some MJ critics point out the lack of talent in the league when the Bulls were winning championships. Unlike Magic and Bird, who were virtual equals as basketball players, they argue that Jordan’s time at the top was primarily because he had no peer as far as the game went.

However, Michael thought otherwise. The Bulls icon felt the three-peat was extra special for the franchise because the competition was as tough as it has ever been.

“(The three-peat) means a lot to us because we make history. Very few teams have done this, especially when there’s so much parity in the league right now; it’s a major accomplishment for the franchise,” Jordan stated.

MJ did have a point about the quality of competition he faced en route to Chicago’s first three-peat. The Bulls only held the best record in the Association in 1992, while the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns were the number one overall seeds in 1991 and 1993, respectively.

Even so, the Bulls survived all types of challenges during that season. The New York Knicks pushed them to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. At the same time, the Blazers could have easily forced a winner-take-all in the finals after leading by double-digits in the fourth quarter.

Chicago faced nearly 20 combined All-Star selections in those three championship runs, spread across multiple contenders. Each finals opponent boasted MVP-caliber talent such as Johnson (second in MVP voting in 1991), Clyde Drexler (second in MVP voting in 1992) and Charles Barkley (1993 MVP).

However you look at it, that’s a lot of elite talent to beat.

Finding separation from the legends he once chased

Magic and Bird set the bar in the 1980s; the titles they won in the decade were undeniable proof. By 1993, the roles had flipped, and Jordan finally had a marker they couldn’t match.

That difference is why the three-peat mattered so much to Mr. Air. It wasn’t about matching their total rings, but about doing something even they couldn’t do in their peak years.

At that point, Mike tied Larry Legend but still had two fewer than Magic in the title department. However, stacking three straight put him in his own lane, a stamp of dominance that even the ’80s titans couldn’t touch.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“It was something to separate myself from Magic and Bird” – Michael Jordan on what Chicago’s first three-peat meant to him

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