Michael Jordan Intentionally Missed His Free Throw in 1994 for Personal Goal, Ex-Rival Reveals

Michael Jordan isn’t someone to be messed with. When he lost the Conference Semi-Finals Game 1 against the Magic in 1995, he brought back his old number 23 after initially donning 45. There are numerous such instances of his determination. One of those includes the 6-time NBA Champ intentionally missing a free throw. As his former rival sheds light on that incident, a new factor has surfaced.

Former Magic player Darrell Armstrong, who faced Jordan in the 1994-95 season, recalled Game 4. He stated that Jordan had two free throws. While he successfully made the first attempt, Jordan intentionally missed the second to put a certain number on the scoreboard which is 45.

“Jordan had two free throws at the end of the game. He hit the first one and missed the second one on purpose and we was like what the f**k he doing, you know. Somebody said look at the scoreboard. He left 45 on the scoreboard,” Armstrong said during his appearance in Knuckleheads podcast.

Armstrong further added, “You know Jordan Petty motherf****r in he left 45 for last year on the scoreboard. Go back and look at game four stat sheet. You can Google that. 45!”

The same number as his jersey number. Following his retirement after a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls, his Airness made a comeback with the new jersey number 45. Armstrong assumes that the miss was intentional to honor the number 45. However, just after Game 1, he switched back to 23. What was the reason behind it?

Why did Michael Jordan choose 45 and switch back to 23?

This was the time he made a fresh comeback in the league after the tragic passing of his dad, James R. Jordan Sr. Instead of his original number 23, His Airness chose 45 as his jersey number. He even missed that free throw to honor it. However, after the Chicago Bulls loss against Orlando Magic in 1995, he decided to switch back to 23. The reason was simple. His Airness was more confident in his old self.

“It’s me. 23 is me. So I didn’t try to be something else. Even though I know my father’s never seen me play in 45, 23 is something I really feel comfortable with and that’s the reason that I went toward,” Jordan said about the jersey number switch.

The Chicago Bulls even had to pay fines for Jordan’s sudden switch of jersey number. Armstrong still remembers how much of an impact the change made as Jordan went up to score 38 points to win Game 2. Like many stories, this one also shows the determination Jordan had to get what he wanted.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.