Chicago Bulls: 30 greatest Michael Jordan moments of all time

13. His Hall of Fame induction

With former teammates, coaches and opponents in attendance, Jordan delivered an emotional, confusing, cocky, and at times mean, Hall of Fame induction speech. It was truly an odd moment, but an important one nonetheless.

He called out teammates, coaches and opponents by name to thank them for motivating him. He even ended the speech with an interesting Bryon Russell story about how Russell mentioned that he could’ve shut down MJ had he not retired. Obviously, we know how that turned out.

The speech wasn’t all that empowering or motivating, but it was a clear representation of what Jordan is: a competitor. Almost everything he talked about had to do with competition and competitive nature. He didn’t come across as the most fun guy to be around, but that was never his intention. His intention was to win, and he did that better than almost any athlete ever.

Jordan becoming a Hall of Famer was inevitable. He’s arguably the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. But still, when the moment happens, it’s special. It’s an honor.

12. 50 points and game-winner against Milwaukee

On February 16, 1989, the Milwaukee Bucks came to Chicago to square off against MJ and the Bulls. What the Bucks didn’t know was that they were in store for one of Jordan’s most iconic performances ever.

Jordan was dominant in every facet of the game. He ended up with 50 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. He also sealed the game by way of a nifty hanging jumper with one second left.

First, let’s talk about Jordan’s efficiency in this game. He shot 16-of-26 from the field (really good), 1-of-2 from three-point range (good) and 17-of-18 from the charity stripe (really good). That means he had an astounding 73.7 true shooting percentage. He also played 40 minutes and had a 40.5 usage percentage, but that’s chump-change for MJ at this point, right?

Now let’s talk about the final shot. The Bulls were down one with nine seconds left as the Bucks were inbounding the ball. Thanks to an errant pass by the Bucks inbounder, Pippen was able to corral the ball and get it to MJ.

Jordan beats the first defender with a swift behind-the-back dribble, then beats the next defender with an in-and-out crossover. The poor soul that MJ beat with the behind-the-back dribble worked his way back into the picture, only to get fooled by the same in-and-out dribble that got his teammate. He subsequently ended up on the ground while Jordan hovered over him and hit the dagger.

After a quick timeout and a defensive stop for Chicago, the game was over. 50 points and a game-winning jumper for Michael Jordan.