Michael Jordan and his #23 jersey is cemented in the NBA forever. He made the #45 jersey infamous, but there is one jersey Jordan wore that nobody really knows about.
Michael Jordan was his brother Larry’s biggest fan. He admired the way he played basketball and he admired they way he handled himself on and off the court. In High School, Larry was a standout and Jordan knew it. Jordan believed he wasn’t near they player his brother was, in fact he believed he possessed only half the skills Larry had. Larry wore the number 45 in High School, so Michael split the number 45 in half and rounded up, which results to number 23. Jordan would go on to cement this number into NBA History as a ripple effect into youth basketball 20 years later. However, there is another number Jordan wore for just one game in his NBA career in a forgotten-wildly entertaining piece in Michael Jordan entertainment.
It was Valentines Day, just days after the 1990 NBA All-Star Game in Miami. The team traveled from Miami to Orlando to take on the Magic. It was just 90 minutes before tip-off when a fan snuck into the Bulls locker room and swiped MJ’s #23 jersey. Security immediately locked down the arena, sealed the building and searched employees. The jersey was never found. Instead, Bulls officials searched the entire Arena for a Michael Jordan #23 jersey for Jordan to borrow, however, the lone jersey was worn by a kid – too small for Jordan to wear.
With no options available Michael Jordan pulled out a Chicago Bulls #12 Jersey. The Jersey featured no name on the back and it’s still a mystery where that jersey came from, as no current Bull teammate at the time wore #12. The odd thing, is that 12 is the rounded up figure of half 0f 23 (the same way Jordan arrived from wearing number 23 from 45 in the first place). Perhaps the Bulls carried around a seamstress?
It must have been the shoes! Wearing the jersey Number 12 on that Valentines Day, Jordan erupted for 49 points and 7 rebounds in an OT loss to the Magic, 129-135. To Jordan’s displeasure, unfortunately for Magic fans, Jordan didn’t sign one autograph that day in Orlando.
So, this makes Michael Jordan the best player to wear jersey numbers: 9, 12, 23 and 45. Unless, you think Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath, Dwight Howard or Seattle Seahawks 12th Man wear it better.
The Air Jordan V. Those were the shoes Jordan wore on that gloomy Valentines Day in Orlando. Jordan debuted those shoes in the 1990 NBA All-Star Game in Miami. So, it was the shoes that erupted for those 49 points and 7 boards, not the Jersey Number 23.
