The Chicago Bulls are as well-known as they are because of the Michael Jordan years. Alongside Scottie Pippen, Jordan dominated the NBA for years. He won six championships in the 1990s, reigning supreme over the league. Now, he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest players in league history.
One of Jordan’s most iconic moments came during the 1992 NBA Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. In Game 1 of the series, Jordan exploded. He nailed six three-pointers in a single half, shaking his head and shrugging after the sixth. It became known as “The Shrug Game.” However, Magic Johnson recently revealed an inside scoop about the moment.
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson posted a video to his YouTube channel of Johnson explaining the backstory behind the moment. He said that Jordan was actually shrugging at him because of what happened the night before.
“The night before he hit all them threes against Portland, we’re playing [a card game] at his house,” Johnson said. “His dad and I, we tore him up. I’m running six nos and five specials on Michel. So, we played, and I said, ‘Michael, I got to go home. You got a game.’ Because, remember, I was working for NBC at that time. So, I’m calling the game. He said, ‘Nah, MJ,’ because Michael is so competitive when he’s losing, he doesn’t want you to leave. So, we played, and I said, ‘Nah, I’m going home to the hotel.’ So, remember, he shot and made like four, five in a row. And remember, when he made that last one and turned to the scorer’s table, he was turning to me. He was so hot that night, so he owes me a lot because I’m the one he was mad at. That’s why he took it out on Clyde Drexler the next day in the game.”
It sounds like the Trail Blazers have Johnson to blame for Jordan’s performance.
