Believe it or not, Michael Jordan did lose in the playoffs.
All anyone remembers is the six championships that Jordan won with the Chicago Bulls, and the two separate three-peats.
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Jordan wore #45 upon his initial returnCredit: Getty
From 1991-1993 and 1996-1998, the NBA was owned by Jordan and the Bulls.
But what happened when his Airness momentarily retired after his first three-peat?
He tried his luck at baseball, which didn’t pan out for him, and subsequently returned to the Bulls in the middle of the 1995 season.
By then it was almost time for the postseason to begin.
Being away from the court for a year and a half, doesn’t exactly lend itself to playing shape, as even Jordan found out.
The last playoff series he ever lost in his career came a few months later.
Jordan and the Bulls would fall to a young Shaquille O’Neal and Orlando Magic team in six games.
However, despite his 18-month hiatus from the NBA, Jordan still averaged 31 points per game in the postseason that year.
And the next three years after that?
Three more championships, three more Finals MVPs and two more regular season MVPs.
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Jordan and the Bulls fell to O’Neal, who led the Magic all the way to the FinalsCredit: Getty
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Jordan let the 1995 playoff loss fuel him to three more titlesCredit: Getty
Safe to say, Jordan was back like he had never left.
But it did take him some time, something to which he admitted a few years after his return.
In an interview with Ahmad Rashad in 1998, Jordan himself said he wasn’t ready.
“Everyone questioned my ability because I basically took it all myself,” Jordan explained.
“Come back to the game, physically I wasn’t ready.”
Even though he averaged 31 points per game that postseason, it was still clear that Jordan wasn’t in ‘Jordan-shape.’
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However, if you ask O’Neal about that series, he doesn’t want to hear excuses.
During an episode of the Full Send Podcast back in 2021, O’Neal explained his stance.
“I take pride in being the last guy to beat Michael Jordan in a playoff situation,” O’Neal said.
“Everybody’s gonna say, ‘Oh he came back from baseball.’
“But my thing is, and I know he has the same mentality, if you’re on that court, that means you’re ready to go.”
It may have taken him a moment (or playoff series), but ask Bulls fans how the rest of the 90s unfolded and if they ever wondered whether Jordan would be Jordan again?
Look at the trophy case and you’ll find your answer.