Michael Jordan is a name that is known basically around the world. Being a superstar in the NBA didn’t necessarily make you a global icon, but Jordan achieved worldwide recognition, the likes of which very few can match. He is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, and there are just so many iconic Jordan moments that come to your mind when you think about him.
One that tends to stand out is his ‘Flu Game’ in the 1997 NBA Finals. With the Bulls and the Jazz tied up at 2-2, Game 5 would prove to be critical in determining the outcome of the series. Unfortunately for the Bulls, MJ got sick the day before the game, but he still went on to play and dominated, as he finished with a game-high 38 points. The Bulls narrowly won the game and eventually the series, as Jordan’s legend just kept growing. It has been 25 years since that game, and while we still talk about it, the newer generation isn’t quite aware of the events from back then.
Football Star Didn’t Know Michael Jordan
As LSU prepared to face off against Arkansas in College Football, their star defender Harold Perkins got sick with the flu. Their head coach Brian Kelly thought of inspiring the youngster by bringing up Jordan’s game, but Perkins had no idea what his coach was talking about.
Harold Perkins was sick with the flu before playing against Arkansas.
When Brian Kelly told Perkins that MJ played his best game while sick, Perkins asked:
"Who's MJ?"
(via @codyworsham) https://t.co/QZaFYc5e5C
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2022
“He got sick before the game. He threw up as we were going into our team meeting. I said, ‘Hey, you know MJ threw up when he had his greatest game’ and he said, ‘Who’s MJ.’”
It is wild to think that we are perhaps getting to a generation where people don’t know who Jordan is. Whether he knows who MJ is after that conversation or not, Perkins ended up having a legendary game of his own. He finished with 4 sacks to tie the all-time record for LSU and also had 8 tackles as they won 13-10. It will go down as his own ‘Flu Game’, which is quite special.
That title in 1997 was Jordan’s fifth, and he won a sixth the following year against the Jazz. Game 6 of that series had another memorable Jordan moment, as he stole the ball from Karl Malone and then drilled the game-winner. Phil Jackson called that his favorite Jordan moment, and that was really something special. All of his accolades to go with these iconic moments are why MJ is held in such high regard by almost everyone who is associated with the game.
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