The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the numerous Eastern Conference teams that failed to reach the NBA Finals due to Michael Jordan 's dominance throughout the 1990s. Not only did the 14-time All-Star consistently outperform the Sixers' defender assigned to him, but en route to leading his Chicago Bulls to their first three-peat, he eliminated Philly twice in the second round in consecutive playoffs.
Despite MJ depriving their fanbase and the organization of so much potential success, they never downplayed his contributions to the league; rather, they acknowledged his greatness by calling a special guest to give him a proper send-off.
Philly's special gift to Mike
The Wells Fargo Center was a venue where Mike was particularly motivated to silence the buzzing home crowd. Consequently, in the 57 games he played in the regular season, the New York native averaged 30.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, shooting at a remarkable 51.3% from the field. However, despite being on the receiving end of Jordan's stellar showings, the Sixers embraced his performances.
In 2003, when a 40-year-old Jordan made his final appearance at the Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers arranged for a special guest to introduce him. Following the team's regular announcer introducing the four Washington Wizards starters, the proceedings changed.
As the lights in the arena dimmed, a different voice began to intone the familiar words, "From North Carolina, at guard, 6-foot-6..."
At first, the six-time Finals MVP couldn't see who was behind the mic. However, after the lights brightened, Michael saw Ray Clay, the former Bulls announcer, and instantly embraced his presence. It was later known that the 76ers specifically asked Clay to give Jordan this special gift.
"Why not?" Clay told the Sixers. "Here's my chance to give him a proper send-off."
Even MJ could sense the essence of that heartfelt gesture and immediately thanked Clay for doing this.
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How did Jordan perform in the game?
While the gesture before the tip-off was special, His Airness couldn't give himself a fitting finale-finish on the hardwood in Philly. He ended the game with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field. As the 76ers secured a regular-season series sweep of 4-0 against the Wizards, Allen Iverson dropped a game-high 35 points and guided the home team to a decisive 30-point victory.
That being said, an impressive performance on the court would have been an ideal end for Mike in all ways, but this act from one of his biggest rivals shed light on just how immensely respected the six-time NBA Champ was.
Related: "Gave me all I could ask for in terms of competition" - Michael Jordan on how his relentless competitive spirit was ignited by his sister
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