Michael Jordan’s career-high 69-point game didn’t come from a hot hand or a favorable matchup. According to the Hall of Famer, it came from rage.
Speaking to SLAM Magazine, the six-time NBA champion said his legendary performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 28, 1990, was sparked by what he felt was a complete lack of empathy from the Richfield crowd.
“I think the game I had against Cleveland, when I had 69, that was strictly off of anger and disappointment,” Jordan said. “Earlier in the first quarter, when I think I got a hard foul from Hot Rod and I fell the wrong way, I was really in pain. And the whole crowd cheered. That pissed me off.”
From there, Jordan turned fury into fuel.
He finished with 69 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and four steals in a 117-113 Chicago Bulls win in overtime. He shot 23-of-67 from the field, 2-of-6 on three-pointers and made 21 of his 23 free-throw attempts.
The performance still stands as the highest single-game scoring output of Jordan’s career. And it came at the expense of a Cavaliers team that frequently found itself on the wrong end of his biggest moments.
Widely considered the greatest player in NBA history, Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists over 15 seasons with the Bulls and Wizards. He won five MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year award, six championships and six Finals MVPs. He also claimed 10 scoring titles and led the league in steals three times.
Jordan holds the NBA record for most points in a playoff game with 63, set against the Boston Celtics in 1986. In the Finals, he averaged 33.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists, leading Chicago to a perfect 6-0 record on the league’s biggest stage. The Bulls never needed a Game 7 to win a title during the Jordan era.
It’s fitting. When Jordan got angry, the other team usually paid the price.
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I was at that game and Jordan misinterpreted why. The Cavs were being criticized in the media and by the fan base for being “soft” and not committing hard fouls against the Bulls. As we know, that was a part of EC basketball back in those days.
When Hot Rod committed a hard foul, we cheered that they FINALLY committed a hard foul. I am confident that most fans like myself, were not cheering that Jordan was hurt.