22 Years Ago Michael Jordan Achieved Something That No Other Person Has Managed to Replicate Till Date

The legacy of Michael Jordan is untouchable. The iconic #23 jersey proudly hangs on the rafters of the United Center for multiple reasons. MJ stirred up the NBA world with his extraordinary talent, and made his fans drop their jaw in astonishment. 

The tale of Jordan’s greatness is widely known and there is no need for it to be retold once again. The six-titles, five MVP awards, and many other honors stand bold in his mighty basketball resume. Along his career, MJ found a lot of attention, grew through fame, and was celebrated by his fans. 

The Jumpman has etched his name on many records in basketball. He tops the list in several scoring charts and one can’t forget his ability to excel in both offense and defense. Just like the plethora of records he holds to his name, there is also something Jordan did, nobody in the world has ever done before. To be precise, in the world of print media. 

Michael Jordan was no stranger to featuring in magazine covers

Due to his massive fame, Michael Jordan could never travel anywhere without fans following him. One can only imagine how it would have been if ‘His Airness’ was in his prime today. The attention, the media, the paparazzi, and everything. Not that he doesn’t get any media attention these days. MJ once again reminded people of his legacy with the soaring success of ‘The Last Dance.’

Moreover, in his playing days, there was no other NBA star like Michael Jordan. His on-court talents often got him appearing on magazine covers. If you talk about the most popular magazines around the world, or ones with a great deal of success, you might stumble upon the likes of Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. 

These three giants in the industry had their own share of following in the market. In 1998, the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan pulled off a sensational victory against the Utah Jazz to win the NBA championship. The Bulls became six-time champions and Michael Jordan was an instrumental member of the franchise that achieved the double three-peat. 

Following the massive triumph, the reality kicked in that MJ was no longer going to stay with the Bulls. The 6th championship just politely pulled the curtain on a historical career. MJ quitting the NBA became the most talked-about matter. On June 22, 1998, three influential magazines co-incidentally carried the photo of Michael Jordan on their cover. 

As put forth by Darren Rovell on Twitter, the June 22nd edition of Times, Sports Illustrated and Fortune magazines all contained the photo of MJ. Appearing on a magazine cover was a common factor is MJ’s professional life. However, even MJ had never managed to appear on the same dated edition on three different magazines before 1998. 

After this unique happening, no other personality, be it an athlete or a celebrity or a person of any such influence has managed to achieve this. MJ remains the only person to have done so. It has been 22 years since this happened, just days after the Bulls’ iconic second three-peat.