10 Things You Might Not Know About Michael Jordan's Final NBA Game

(Watch the full game at the end of this post)

I'm not crazy about birthdays; I skipped my high school 10-year reunion; I almost forgot about my 10-year anniversary with my wife, but I didn't forget that 10 years ago today was Michael Jordan's final game in the NBA!

I mean, how could I forget something of such importance?

The 40-year-old GOAT finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 24 minutes against Allen Iverson and the 76ers, but nobody really cared about his stat line. And nobody cared about the Washington Wizards losing another game. Everybody was there to cheer MJ when he was on the floor and to boo him when he wanted to rest. They were even chanting “WE WANT MIKE! WE WANT MIKE!” when the Wiz were down by 20 points in the 4th quarter.

"The game didn't merit me going back in,'' Jordan said. "Obviously, they wanted to see me make a couple of baskets. That was very, very respectful.''

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary, here are 10 cool things that you might know about this game unless you watched it and have a great memory.

But first, let’s take a quick look at the final points of a few other legends, because I know a few of you are saying things like, “The greatest scorer ever only scored 15 points.”

• Larry Bird: 12
• Dr. J: 24
• Patrick Ewing: 12
• Hakeem Olajuwon: 8
• Kareem (the all-time leader in points): 7
• Magic Johnson: 6
• Wilt: 23

FROM NORTH CAROLINA!!!

A pleasant surprise for MJ was hearing the voice of the Chicago Bulls, Ray Clay, say, “Frommmm North Carolina...at guard...6'6"...Michaeeeeeel Joooooordan!" during the Wizards' starting lineup for the away game in Philadelphia. A smiling MJ kept looking for Ray and gave him a big hug when he spotted the man who introduced him throughout the 90s and during two three-peats.

Clay was also supposedly fired by the Bulls in 2002 for the way he introduced MJ during his first game back in Chicago.

BOY II MEN

After the first quarter, Philly’s Boyz II Men sang their 1991 hit song ‘It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday.’

Shawn Stockman of the group has a pretty crazy story about how Nike didn’t like the Concord 11s and how the group helped make them popular.

“I can tell you the exact story MJ told us. Around 95-96, Jordan came out with the Concord 11s, and when they first came out, Jordan told us that the people over at Nike were not big fans of the 11, initially. Jordan had to convince them that the 11s would be great. He told them that one day an entertainer is going to wear those kicks with a tuxedo or something like that because of the patent leather toe. It makes sense because patent leather shoes are often worn with tuxedos. Lo and behold, the day of the Grammy’s, the guys and I came out in White Sox baseball caps, tuxedos and Jordan 11s. MJ saw it and was like, ‘Yo, this is crazy!’ He was a big fan of the group even before that, so when we finally met up with each other, he told us this story that I’m telling you now and how Nike really didn’t like the 11 when it was initially produced. From that meeting, we became really good friends. Since then, we’ve been getting Jordans on the regular because of that. I pretty much have every single Jordan that has come out since that meeting.”

SPIKE AND EWING

Along with countless fans wearing UNC, Bulls, and Wizards MJ jerseys in the crowd was Knicks superfan Spike Lee in a Wizards jersey?!

Mike and Spike go all the way back to the original Jordan brand campaigns with Spike as Mars Blackmon yelling, “Money, it’s gotta be the shoes.”

Spike was also the man Kobe once joked was behind MJ’s 55-point game at MSG. A game that featured Patrick Ewing, who has appeared on some of MJ’s best posters, and was also in attendance with Spike.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTER BILL COSBY?!

A surprising celeb in the crowd was the man everyone in America thought was the perfect family man in the 80s. We thought this because of THE COSBY SHOW, which featured Phylicia Rashad, who was married to MJ’s “main man” Ahmad Rashad.

I bet you didn’t know that Cosby has a $1 lifetime contract with the Harlem Globetrotters since 1972. Unfortunately, Cosby doesn’t have a lifetime contract with a prison.

THE FINAL DUNK

I’ve never believed in the rumor that MJ has a 48-inch vertical. I doubt any NBA player has ever had a 48-inch vertical. But I do believe no player has done more for the popularity of dunking than MJ. From free-throw line jumping in his Dunk Championships (I know, I know 88 was a home job) to his countless posters (like the ones on Ewing), MJ deserved the nickname “Air” and the title of the most popular NBA VHS ever: COME FLY WITH ME.

His 1-hand dunk in the final seconds before halftime was nothing to brag about, but it was great to see him get a dunk and hear Bill Walton yell, “throw it down, Michael, one last time! Please!”

MAD SKILLZ

Speaking of Bill Walton, there was a segment during the game called SPRITE MAD SKILLZ, where they flashed back to 1986, when MJ scored 63 against Bird, Walton, and the Celtics. During a highlight clip of MJ scoring over Walton, the great big man says, “Play some defense. Block a shot!”

THE GOLF CART