"I was watching the last dance again and my daughter walked in on me watching it" - DeMar DeRozan talks about idolizing Michael Jordan, playing for Chicago Bulls
NBA and Chicago Bulls superstar DeMar DeRozan talked about his admiration for Michael Jordan and the success he had with the Bulls.
Speaking to the media in his post-game press conference, DeRozan was asked about Jordan and how much it meant to him to represent the same team as the NBA legend. DeRozan said:
"For me growing up, you know, idolizing Michael Jordan, obviously me, you know, knowing everything about it, it's just funny because I think earlier in the season, I was watching the last dance again. And my daughter walked in on me watching it. And she said, Well, I'm not in the game. I said, I'm watching this from the 90s I wouldn't."
DeRozan continued:
"I was a kid you know, you know, it was just funny because you know she was look like the same arena but no, it's things like that. Where you just, you know, realize like damn, you represent one of the greatest organizations."
The impact Jordan made on the game did not go unrecognized. He is arguably the greatest player of all time and has influenced many generations to play the game of basketball.
Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan's final season with the Chicago Bulls was something straight out of a movie. "His Airness," along with Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Toni Kukoč, captured yet another championship and achieved a second three-peat with Phil Jackson at the helm.
In pursuit of his second career three-peat, Michael Jordan played like a man possessed. He averaged 28.7 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting better than 46% from the field and over 78% from the free-throw line (career low).
Even more impressive was that Jordan played all 82 games for the third straight season and nearly 39 minutes a night at age 34.
Michael Jordan capped the 97-98 season with his 6th NBA Finals MVP Award. No other player has won Finals MVP more than 3x (first awarded in 1969).
Jordan was 6-0 in NBA Finals, the most title round wins without a loss by an MVP in NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB history. h/t @EliasSports https://t.co/ZlVT433TSN
The team had championship aspirations after winning the previous two years. Chicago faced the New Jersey Nets (Now known as the Brooklyn Nets) in the first round of the playoffs.
"His Airness" dropped over 30 points in all three games as the Bulls swept the Nets.
In the second round, the Bulls played the Charlotte Hornets (a franchise Jordan would later own).
Michael Jordan averaged 29.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting better than 46% in this series. The Bulls needed five games to get past the Hornets.
In Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Michael Jordan attempted 35 of his team’s 67 shots (52%), the highest percentage by any player in a playoff game in the shot-clock era (@EliasSports).
It was the only game of his career Jordan attempted at least half of his team’s shots. https://t.co/ZCuHtVxAmV
In the Eastern Conference finals, the Indiana Pacers were waiting for Chicago. Considered to be the toughest matchup of MJ's career, barring the Detroit Pistons in late 1980s, the Pacers pushed the Bulls to seven games.
Jordan averaged nearly 32 points on over 46% shooting from the field and 40% from 3-point range in the series.
Against the Utah Jazz, led by Karl Malone and John Stockton, Jordan kept his unblemished record of never going the distance in an NBA Finals. The Bulls went on to win the series in six games.
Michael Jordan averaged 33.5 points per game on better than 42% shooting. That performance led the Bulls to their sixth championship.