“Physically I Wasn’t Ready…”: Michael Jordan Got Honest on Losing to Shaquille O’Neal’s Magic in the 1995 NBA Playoffs

When the NBA was in its ’90s era, there was a player who made his name to a point where it was nearly impossible to compete against him. In terms of record and performance, the Chicago Bulls set the bar for the competition. It was Bulls star Michael Jordan who was one of the main pillars of this team’s success.

In the Bulls squad, each player has made a name for themselves, but when it came to Jordan, fans went wild. It was during that time that this man filled all the courtside seats and had a craze over the fans’ hearts.

The NBA regarded him as one of its most dominant players. His performance earned the Bulls six championships. Every team had to compete against the Bulls to win a championship due to the high level of competition.

During the 1990-91 and 1992-93 seasons, the Bulls were all over the place. Announcing his retirement in 1993, Jordan decided to try his hands at baseball.

During the next two years, he played baseball, and after that, he returned to basketball. There was, however, something that neither the fans nor the players had expected in the 1994-95 season. It was a hard loss for the Bulls against an Orlando Magic team that was led by Shaquille O’Neal.

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As a result, the NBA world and media outlets buzzed after this. An interview with Jordan revealed the truth about losing to O’Neal’s Magic in the 1995 NBA playoffs.

When Shaquille O’Neal defeated Michael Jordan in the 1990s, what did he say?

During a Full Send Podcast interview back in 2021, Shaq explained it. “I take pride in being the last guy to beat Michael Jordan in a playoff situation. Everybody’s gonna say, ‘Oh he came back from baseball.’ But my thing is, and I know he has the same mentality, if you’re on that court, that means you’re ready to go,” explained Shaq.

Despite Shaq’s thoughts on this, Jordan’s comments in the 1998 interview with Ahmad Rashad were quite interesting. In his statement, he said, “Everyone questioned my ability because I basically took it all myself. Come back to the game, physically I wasn’t ready.”

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There has been a difference of opinion between the two players. We would love to hear what you think about this. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.