Michael Jordan’s last shot over the Utah Jazz will always live in NBA history, but the way Utah handles the memory has taken on a life of its own. More than 27 years later, the saltiness still hasn’t gone. It has become a part of the city’s personality. The newest reminder that has shown up, when the Chicago Bulls social media team posted a screenshot from the public WiFi inside the Jazz arena.
The network name is ‘JordanPushedOff,’ a scar from the 1998 NBA Finals, which refuses to go away.
The Bulls captioned it with a cheeky caption, saying the arena clearly still has strong feelings about the 1998 Finals. That alone was enough to light up NBA Twitter.
The Jazz home arena public WiFi still has some strong feelings about the ’98 Finals 😂 pic.twitter.com/m0rQPtF0Px
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 16, 2025
The funny part is that this isn’t the first time that network name has gone viral. Utah owner Ryan Smith actually revealed it two years ago on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I grew up in Utah as a die hard fan of the Jazz..
The Wi-Fi in the building is actually Jordan pushed off” 😂😂 ~ @RyanQualtrics #PMSLive #TakeNote pic.twitter.com/SEKCvq6lBa
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 8, 2023
Smith grew up in Utah during the Finals runs and admitted he still carries the emotional bruises from those losses. He said it with a smile, but you could hear the truth behind it.
The play itself is embedded in basketball culture. Game 6. Final seconds. Utah leading 86 to 85. Jordan crosses over Byron Russell, creates space, rises, and drops in the jumper that clinched Chicago’s sixth championship. Jazz fans swear he pushed off. Bulls fans insist Russell was already leaning and the contact was nothing. The officials didn’t blow the whistle. The dynasty closed the door. And Utah was left with a memory that never quite healed.
What makes the whole thing fascinating is how alive the moment still feels in Salt Lake City. Most franchises move on. Utah doesn’t. They’ve embraced the pain, turned it into humor, and let it become a piece of who they are. The arena WiFi isn’t just a joke. It’s a reminder. It’s a nod to a fan base that still remembers exactly where they were when the shot dropped.
Chicago gets to enjoy nostalgia. Utah gets a scar that turned into a personality trait. But that’s what sports do. They give you moments you never forget, sometimes for joy, sometimes for heartbreak. And the Jazz will always live with the belief that one gentle nudge cost them their best shot at a title.
If you ever find yourself in their arena and need to get online, you won’t need a history book. Just look at the WiFi list. It tells the whole story.
