3 takeaways from episodes 7 and 8 of The Last Dance, ESPN’s MJ doc
3. Thank B.J. Armstrong for scratching Michael’s itch
The Bulls had exceeded expectations in 1993-94 by coming within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals. They’d fallen on the harsh realities of Jordan’s absence — as well as Horace Grant — with a 34-31 record through 65 games the following season.
Very little was required to gain the attention of Michael Jordan. Few ever wanted that focus for fear of what came after, usually a dominant statistical performance from MJ in a Chicago victory.
B.J. Armstrong was not yet a foe of Jordan’s, which is why he had every reason to get into his line of sight. Returning Jordan to the essence of basketball and the NBA was the best bet at getting him to come out of retirement and return the team to its previous glory. The ideal way to do that was to show him what he was missing.
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The latest in our series with the great B.J. Armstrong, this time how a breakfast in 1995 kind of, sort of, nudged Michael Jordan back to win three more rings. https://t.co/OGuiatsZHE
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 11, 2020
What started as a breakfast among friends turned into an innocent invite to one of Jordan’s old stomping grounds, the Berto Center, as a morale booster for the new iteration of the Bulls.
One appearance begat more and more. Presence turned into practice. The itch became a rabid scratch. Soon enough, Jordan was making a return to the NBA all thanks to Armstrong’s knowledge of the temptations he knew MJ couldn’t resist.