In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan scored the last two points of the game with 5.2 seconds remaining to give the Chicago Bulls the lead. The Bulls would hold on to win the game, clinching their 6th NBA Championship and second 3-peat of the decade in the process.
It was Jordan’s 25th game-winning shot and his final shot in a Bulls uniform.
Simply put, it was the perfect ending to an era that was dominated by Jordan and the Bulls. And while many fans tend to downplay how successful Jordan’s 2001-2003 run with the Washington Wizards was, this truly was The Last Dance for His Airness.
It’s also one of the greatest moments in American sports history.
Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Shot’ as Bull Was Quite the Controversy
If you ask anybody who loves Michael Jordan or the Chicago Bulls about “The Last Shot,” they’ll tell you that it was an incredible play by Jordan. But if you ask a Jordan detractor or a Utah Jazz fan, you’ll get a different answer.
During the play, Jordan was being guarded by Bryon Russell. Russell was a stout defender who did about as well as anyone else ever did while guarding prime Michael Jordan.
From certain angles, it appears as though Jordan “pushed off” on Russell before draining the shot. Utah Jazz legend John Stockton believes Jordan pushed off and has gone on record with his thoughts.
“Without a doubt, he pushed off,” Stockton told Basketball Network. “Now, whether you call it or not it’s another story. First of all, Bryon kind of gets a bad rap for all that. Bryon I think held Michael to the lowest shooting percentages of any of his finals. He did a heck of a job.”
Jordan disagrees. “Everybody says I pushed off — bull—-,” Jordan said in the finale of The Last Dance docuseries. “His energy was going that way. I didn’t have to push him that way.”
No matter which way you see it, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t one of the most clutch sports moments of all time.