On March 28, 1990, Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan scored 69 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 117-113 overtime victory. It was a regular-season career high, and the fourth time the legend reached the 60-point plateau in his career. Along with his prolific scoring, he also added 18 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block on the stat sheet that night.
At the time, the Bulls were still on their journey to winning their first NBA Championship of six during the 1990s, with Jordan as their leader. That season, he truly came into his own as the game’s greatest player, averaging 33.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, and winning yet another league scoring title.
Chicago finished 55–27 during the regular season that year, emerging as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference and the eventual heirs to reigning titleholders, the Detroit Pistons.
Unfortunately for his Airness and his team, their season would end at the hands of the Bad Boys in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Pistons’ physical “Jordan Rules” defense once again prevented Chicago from reaching the Finals.
It would be the last time that Detroit bounced Chicago out of the playoffs, as the Bulls would finally ‘slay the dragon’ on their way to their first NBA title the next season.
To say that Jordan would go on to be remembered as a major figure in basketball and pop culture is a massive understatement, as the combination of his astounding on-court skills and natural charisma made him one of the most influential athletes in history.
MJ set new standards, rewriting the NBA record books and all the rules when it came to pro stars and endorsement deals. He would become the face of Nike and Gatorade, as well as appearing in commercials for McDonald’s and having his own fragrance. His likeness appeared on billboards all over the world, making him one of the most recognizable celebrities of the 1980s, 90s, and beyond.
Truly an entrepreneur, Michael Jordan eventually used the fortune he acquired from playing basketball and making commercial appearances to purchase a majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets franchise.
The Sidearmer 