Darrell Armstrong, who was part of the Magic during the ’90s when they faced off against Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 1995 and 1996, spoke recently about the two series and how his team, specifically Nick Anderson, needled Michael Jordan, with his infamous comment comparing Jordan’s jersey numbers 45 to 23.
“Second round, we play Michael Jordan. That’s when Nick Anderson stole the ball. To this day until I saw ‘The Last Dance’, I did not know Nick Anderson said, ’45 is not 23’… I would have said, ‘Man, if you don’t shut the f**k up! What is you doing?’”
“Game 2, he comes out, keeps his top on. They did the announcement, wearing number 45, Michael Jordan. The crowd go crazy – (he) kept his top on. Boy, both teams broke out of the huddles, coming to the court, that motherf**ker took out that damn thing, I saw 23, I said, ‘Oh no, we’re in trouble, superman is in the building, black cat, whatever you want to call him. Jesus, we in trouble tonight.’”
Jordan and the Bulls were able to win Game 2, but would eventually lose the series to the Magic in six games. But Jordan wouldn’t have to wait more than a year to get his revenge, as the Bulls swept the Magic, in what would be Shaq’s last appearance as a Magic player. And in an extra note of pettiness, Jordan missed a free-throw to make sure he ended the game with exactly 45 points.
“So they end up winning the game. The rest of the time, this is the crazy part. Every time he wore that number, they got fined $200,000. We ended up winning 4-2 on their court… All he kept thinking was Orlando.”
“Man, they played us – Shaq’s last time in Orlando. They swept us. I never forget this. And you can go back and look at the stat sheet. Jordan had two free throws at the end of the game. He hit the first one, then missed the second one on purpose. We was like ‘What the f**k is he doing?’. Somebody said, ‘Look at the scoreboard’. He had 45 on the scoreboard.”
The Orlando Magic mocked Michael Jordan when he was wearing number 45. Jordan and the Bulls swept them the very next year. Darrell Armstrong shares a story about Jordan at the end of game 4 that showed he NEVER forgot about that disrespect 👀
— Jacob (@Jacobtheclipper) June 14, 2024
Michael Jordan has a history of taking things personally, so much so, that his repeated use of the phrase in ‘The Last Dance’ has become a popular meme now. So this story from Armstrong is not surprising in the slightest. But it does reveal the true extent to which MJ would go to send a message, even if it meant missing a free throw and sacrificing his numbers.
Michael Jordan Relished The Chance To Mock His Opponents
Michael Jordan was a competitor through and through and enjoyed the back-and-forth between competitors. Recently, one of his contemporaries, Patrick Ewing, revealed that Jordan would regularly troll him and Charles Barkley for not winning an NBA championship on the set of ‘Space Jam’ in 1996.
“Michael and I, we had the same agent and I thought it was a great opportunity. For our scenes, mines, Charles, Larry (Johnson), (Muggsy Bogues), it was a lot of fun. We would play pickup ball after the shoot was over, we’d go out to dinner, we’ll play pool, talk trash.
“Of course, Michael, he is one of the biggest trash talkers that you’ve ever had the opportunity to meet or play against. He was always riding Charles and myself that we hadn’t won anything as yet.”
Jordan was one of the most successful players in NBA history, winning six NBA championships and Finals MVPs, five regular season MVPs, and a Defensive Player of the Year. His Airness also made 14 All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA selections, and nine All-Defensive Selections. For his career, Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Michael Jordan’s hyper-competitive spirit was what propelled him to such success in the NBA. While he was a mercurial talent destined for greatness, it was his unwillingness to accept anything less than the very best that made him, in the eyes of many, the greatest player of all time.
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