“A City That Closes Down At 9’o Clock”: Former NBA Champion Says Michael Jordan is Lying About the “Flu Game”

The NBA has seen players put up extraordinary performances over the years. If you take a look into the most iconic displays of sheer grit and determination, you will stumble upon Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals, or better known as the “flu game” of Michael Jordan. 

MJ’s exceptional display of talent is no secret. But, he truly showed the world his ever-burning willpower on June 11, 1997. Having won his fourth NBA title a year ago, the Jumpman had a final roadblock. He had to get past a talented Utah Jazz team in the Finals to enjoy winning five NBA titles. 

With the series tied 2-2, the Bulls had to face the Jazz in Salt Lake City for the next game. The night before the game, Michael Jordan ordered pizza at midnight which ended up giving his body massive troubles. As MJ recalls in the docuseries, five delivery guys came to deliver the pizza at 1 AM which raised his suspicion at first. As we all know what happened on the day of the game, here is the take of Kendrick Perkins and ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on MJ’s “food poisoning game” explanation. 

Kendrick Perkins says he doesn’t believe Michael Jordan

About 23 years ago, Michael Jordan showed the fans what it really means to be great. A 38-point game for ‘His Airness’ on a day when he didn’t feel like himself is truly extraordinary. People tend to look back at memories from the past. Likewise, Kendrick Perkins joined ESPN’s ‘The Jump,’ to reflect on the iconic “flu game.“

He was asked if he believes in the 1 AM pizza order story. “Absolutely not,” Perkins said. “You can’t tell me the sky is green and the grass is blue and expect me to believe. It is no way possible that five guys delivered a pizza to Michael Jordan’s room at 1 in the morning in Utah,” he exclaimed. 

“Salt Lake in Utah, a city that closes down at 9’o clock. I’m not buying,” Perkins concluded. Studio host Rachel Nichols presented her views and agreed with Perkins in debunking the story. “I’m just saying that no player calls up a pizza place and says ‘Hi I’d like a pizza for Michael Jordan, yeah Michael Jeffrey Jordan that’s in room XXX,’ and that’s the part I find a little bit confusing,” Nichols said.   

Moreover, the Bulls legend also found himself in a similar situation a few weeks back. Jordan claimed on ‘The Last Dance’ that he played no significant part in Isiah Thomas being left out of the 1992 ‘Dream Team.’ However, fans slammed MJ after an old audio surfaced that provided MJ guilty.