Michael Jordan had many memorable games in his NBA career.
However, the iconic “Influenza Game” is one of the most special as he faced the Carl Malone and the John Stockton-led Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals.
“His Airness” scored 38 points and recorded seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 90-88 victory in Game 5 of the Finals.
It proved to be an instrumental performance from Michael Jordan as he paved the way for his fifth championship.
His trainer Tim Glover revealed that he appeared in “Pardon My Take” with the real story behind the iconic flu game and what led to a special performance.
Glover was a key part of Jordan’s return to the NBA after he first retired from the league.
The 60-year-old was also part of the last dance documentary that showed Jordan’s historic stint in the NBA.
He was with Michael Jordan the night before the game, revealing details of what leads to the flu game.
“100% was food poisoning, but it sounds better to have a flu game than a food poisoning game where you don’t roll your tongue properly,” Glover said.
He added:
Glover reveals that the five of them showed up at the hotel to deliver food and felt something was wrong, but Jordan still started eating pizza.
“No one in the room had any other pizza other than pizza. There were no signs of a sickness before that.
“And then, around 3am, I get a call from my room saying, ‘Hey guys will be in MJ’s room.’ He is literally curled up in the fetal position.
“He only had a few slices. I didn’t know about the flu that could hit you that fast, but I know that food poisoning hit you,” Glover said as he spoke about what Jordan felt after eating pizza.
Former Bulls player Craig Hodges revealed how difficult it is to practice with Jordan.
His basketball ability is the best, and this was proven when Hodges shared the story of Jordan dropping a 30 after coming to the game from the bar.
The flu game was another example of how talented Jordan is.
Glover said: “His mental toughness and his way of thinking were to say, ‘I can get a bit of a good enough to get on the floor.’ And I told him that too.
“When you sit down, that’s all.”
After a special Game 5 performance, he had not yet fully recovered, but that stopped Jordan from dropping 39 points in Game 6, leading the Bulls to their fifth NBA Championship.
