On this date in history, June 12th of 1991, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen combined for 62 points, 17 rebounds, 17 assists and 10 steals to beat the Lakers 108-101 in Game 5 of the 91 Finals. The victory gave the two Chicago legends their first of six NBA championships and prevented Magic Johnson — 16 points, 20 assists and 11 rebounds in the loss — from winning his sixth NBA championship (in just 12 seasons). It was also the first championship for the 25-year-old Chicago franchise.
After the game, Jordan, who finished his dominant NBA Finals performance with 30 points, 10 assists and 5 steals, was in tears with his now deceased father and ex-wife by his side.
“No one can ever take this away from me,” said an emotional Jordan. “This has been a seven-year struggle for me. It should get rid of the stigma of being a one-man team. We have players surrounding myself that make us an effective basketball team. I don’t know if I’ll ever have this same feeling again.”
If only he knew.
LEARNING TO FLY FULL VIDEO
Old school fans probably remember seeing this one-hour long VHS at your local Blockbuster video, right next to copies of Come Fly With Me, NBA Superstars and Dazzling Dunks & Bloopers.
THE CHAMPS APPEAR ON OPRAH
The full episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show with Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, Scott Williams, and Cliff Levingston after the championship.