When Michael Jordan made the Chicago Bulls lose $100,000 by just wearing the wrong number

Michael Jordan switched from No. 45 to No. 23 after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Orlando Magic in 1995. A seemingly harmless change of numbers after “His Airness” struggled badly in the series opener cost the Chicago Bulls a staggering amount.

The Chicago Tribune reported what the NBA handed out to the Bulls due to Jordan's number swap:

“The NBA levied a $100,000 fine against the Bulls for permitting Jordan to change his jersey number during the playoffs. It is believed to be the largest collective non-fighting fine in modern times, according to NBA historians.

“The Bulls, who are solely responsible for paying the fine, were originally fined $25,000 after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Bulls and Orlando Magic for failing to notify the league that Jordan would be switching from No. 45 to 23."

The report continued:

“Ironically, losing in the second round saved the Bulls from a larger fine as this latest $100,000 penalty was broken down to $25,000 per game for the four additional games in which Jordan continued to wear his original 23.

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Nick Anderson's "The Steal" from Michael Jordan (debuting the Air Jordan 11 'Concord')

MJ returned to his No. 23 jersey after Nick said: "No. 45 doesn't explode like 23 used to. 45 is not 23. I couldn't have done that to No. 23."

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The top-seeded Orlando Magic, led by Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, won Game 1 94-91. Michael Jordan played 40 minutes and finished with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal. He was 8-22 and committed two costly turnovers in the last 10 seconds.

It was then Bulls equipment manager John Ligmanowski who urged Jordan to go back to his original jersey number. Jordan returned to the NBA on March 19, 1995, against the Indiana Pacers wearing No. 45. He played 22 games in it until he changed to No. 23 in Game 2 of the playoff series.

Switching back to the number synonymous with him seemed to have turned things around. Michael Jordan had 38 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists. He went 17-30 from the field and looked like the player who led the Chicago Bulls to a grand slam.

The change, however, wasn’t enough to carry the Bulls to another NBA Finals appearance. They were eliminated in six games by the emerging Orlando Magic. Shaq and Penny’s Magic were the last team to beat Jordan in a playoff series.

Michael Jordan bounced back with a vengeance after losing to the Orlando Magic in 1995

For the first time in many years, Michael Jordan looked human on the basketball court. Some fans wondered if he would ever regain his dominating and nearly unstoppable self back.

The following season, with the key addition of Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to a 72-10 record. They beat the Seattle SuperSonics in six games and added two more championships in the next two years. The Bulls beat the Utah Jazz in 1996 and 1997 to add another three-peat to Jordan’s glittering resume.

It Don’t Mean a Thing Without the Ring

1996 Chicago Bulls 72-10 🏆
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Michael Jordan won three straight NBA Finals MVPs after 1995 and finished his career with a 6-0 record in the championship round. Notably, he stuck to No. 23 even when he unretired for the second time to play for the Washington Wizards.

Also read: Why did Michael Jordan's jersey number change from 23 to 45 during his second Chicago Bulls stint