Michael Jordan bamboozled quite a few defenders over the course of his storied career and Eldridge Recasner was one of them. Recasner took to X recently to share the viral picture of him dropping to the floor after falling for a pump fake from Jordan and made a hilarious comment about it.
“That time my teammates had too much confidence in me and left me 1on1 in the post with Mike. I went for the pump fake and well yall see it…”
That time my teammates had too much confidence in me and left me 1on1 in the post with Mike😳
I went for the pump fake and well yall see it… pic.twitter.com/0wpLyyQyUJ
— Eldridge Recasner (@erecasner) June 25, 2024
This incident took place in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks. You can check out the play below.
A scary moment. The play that led to that iconic photo of Eldridge and Michael.
🎥 NBA on NBC [May 11, 1997] https://t.co/IrRaUzrVga pic.twitter.com/ZsbKYSgROD
— Adam Ryan | NBA history podcaster (@bballrecordpod) June 25, 2024
It was rather fortunate that Recasner did not end up seriously hurting himself on that play with how awkward that fall was. The Hawks had indeed assigned the 6’3″ guard the daunting task of guarding Jordan in that game but were sending help his way.
Before this play, Recasner and Mookie Blaylock had even forced Jordan into a traveling violation, by double-teaming him. The Hawks were perhaps a bit late in sending that double on this play, though, and the Bulls superstar was able to draw a foul with the pump fake.
Jordan then sank both free throws to end a 16-2 Hawks run and give the Bulls an 85-80 lead. They would go on to win 89-80 to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Jordan would end the night with a game-high 27 points, to go with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
As for Recasner, he put 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in the game. All 11 of those points came in the fourth quarter as he led that late charge for the Hawks. Recasner revealed years later during an interview that with him going off, Jordan decided to guard him and shut him down.
“During my playing career with the Hawks, we played the Bulls in the second round of the playoffs. I remember hitting two 3-pointers on Steve Kerr, and Phil Jackson called a timeout to break the momentum. After the timeout, Michael Jordan switched over to defend me, and I remember asking him, ‘Wait a second, what are you doing?’ Jordan quickly responded, ‘I’m here to shut you down,’ and he smiled.”
That’s just another classic Jordan story. The Bulls would win the series in five games to advance to the Conference Finals, where they beat the Miami Heat in five games as well. That set up a clash with the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals and the Bulls emerged victorious in six games to clinch their fifth title in the decade.
Who Is Eldridge Recasner?
Recasner was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Dec. 14, 1967. He attended Alfred Lawless High School in New Orleans and then played college basketball at the University of Washington. Recasner was a three-time All-Pac-10 Conference guard with the Huskies but went undrafted in 1990.
He had to head out to Germany to commence his professional basketball career, playing for TTL Bamberg in the 1990-91 season. Over the following years, Recasner would also play in the Philippines, Turkey, and in the minor leagues in the U.S. It was only in 1995, that he would finally get a chance to play in the NBA, as the Denver Nuggets signed him to a 10-day contract.
Recasner only played three games for the Nuggets in the 1994-95 season, but apparently did enough in them for the Houston Rockets to sign him as a free agent ahead of the 1995-96 campaign. He would go on to play for eight seasons in total in the league and had career averages of 5.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.4 steals per game.
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