If you were asked to give your opinions on who the greatest three-point shooters in NBA history are, you’d probably say names like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Larry Bird, Ray Allen, and Reggie Miller.
Also, if you were asked who the greatest dunkers are in NBA history, you’d say the names of Vince Carter, Shawn Kemp, Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins, and, of course, the G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan.
As you probably already know, Michael Jordan is a two-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He famously jumped from the free-throw line to win it in 1988 against “the Human Highlight Film” himself, Dominique Wilkins.
What if I told you that the Slam Dunk Contest wasn’t the only All-Star Saturday night contest Jordan participated in? In fact, he tried his hand at the 3-Point Contest in 1990.
“Be like Mike,” Shoot Three-Pointers
Michael Jordan was so great at the game of basketball that when he put his mind to something, he got it done.
This was the case when Jordan finally put his mind to shoot three-pointers.
For example, before the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Clyde Drexler of Portland was compared to Jordan.
Most media “experts” said Jordan was better than Drexler, but it was close. The one edge they gave Drexler over Jordan was at the three-point line.
Jordan took offense to this, and he wanted to prove he could shoot three-pointers, so he did in Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals.
Jordan set a then NBA Finals record with six three-point field goals made in one half of basketball!
This performance was uncharacteristic of Jordan, but when people doubted Jordan at something, he wanted to prove everyone wrong.
In this game, Jordan was on fire so much that he said, “My threes felt like free throws.”
Yes, Jordan could get hot and hit a shot from anywhere on the court, but his game wasn’t shooting three-pointers.
So, when Jordan took the stage on All-Star Saturday night and gave it a shot at the 3-Point Contest, the result wasn’t surprising.
3-Point Contest
The 1990 NBA All-Star 3-Point Contest had two participants going simultaneously at each basket.
Jordan started off going up against his teammate and sharpshooter, Craig Hodges. After the first round ended, Hodges finished with 20 points.
Jordan only scored five points, which still, to this day, is a record-low score in a 3-Point Contest.
Jordan would be eliminated from the contest, and this would be the first and last time Jordan participated in the 3-Point Contest.
Hodges ended up winning the 3-Point Contest, and Jordan cheered on his teammate… even though you know it tore at him inside.
Michael Jordan may not have won the 3-Point Contest, but the next season he’d win his first of six championships and six Finals MVPs.
Jordan’s confidence to attempt the 3-Point Contest is something to marvel at. As Jordan famously said in his Hall of Fame speech:
“Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion.”
So, the next time you face a task that may seem impossible, suit up and take your shot. Don’t let fear hold you down. And if you fail, go at it from another angle.
And that’s how you “Be like Mike.”
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