Free Michael Jordan: Legends in Sports by Matt Christopher Page B

to draw back
     close. With only a few minutes left in the game, the Suns jumped out to a 98–94 lead.
    Then Michael Jordan got the ball. Every player on the court and every Suns fan in the stands knew what was going to happen,
     but they were powerlessto stop it. Michael Jordan put the ball on the floor, drove to the basket, leaped into the air, and, twisting between two
     defenders, scored on a layup, bringing the Bulls to within two.
    Now Phoenix had the ball. They stalled for as long as they could but had to shoot before the 24-second clock expired. With
     14 seconds left in the game, Phoenix guard Dan Majerle threw up an air ball. The Bulls had possession, down by two.
    Chicago inbounded the ball to Michael, who took it across half-court. As the defense came out to meet him, he passed the ball
     to Scottie Pippen on the wing. Pippen threw the ball down low to Horace Grant.
    Grant looked for Michael, but Michael was double-teamed. Grant fired a quick pass to Paxson, who set up just behind the three-point
     line. He jumped and shot.
    Swish!
The basket was good! The Bulls had won, 99–98! THREE-PEAT!
    The Bulls had done what no NBA team since the 1960s Celtics had done. Much of the credit belonged to Michael Jordan. He had
     averaged 41 points in the six-game series, an NBA playoff record, and wasnamed MVP for the third straight time. Yet after crying over his first championship and dancing after the second, Michael
     Jordan was more subdued and reflective this time.
    “This championship is something special,” he admitted, “because it separates me from Magic and Bird. Neither ever won three
     straight.”
    At the end of only his eighth year in the National Basketball Association, Michael Jordan was at the top of his profession.
     He had just turned 30 years old, yet he had won every award imaginable and led his team to a remarkable string of championships.
     Basketball historians were beginning to consider Jordan’s Bulls one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
    As Michael Jordan started his first summer vacation without basketball in two years, he looked forward to getting some rest
     and, perhaps, setting his sights on some new goals. Life was very, very good. But, as Michael Jordan would soon learn, that
     could change in an instant.

CHAPTER NINE

1993–1994
The News That Shocked the World
    In mid-July of 1993, Michael Jordan’s father, James, left the family home in North Carolina to visit some friends who lived
     several hours away. He was driving the brand-new car that Michael had given him. His son’s success had allowed him to retire,
     and James loved to get away by himself. He told his family he would return home in a few days.
    A few days passed, and James Jordan did not return. Deloris Jordan began to worry. She hadn’t heard from James. While it was
     not unusual for him to spend several days away from home without calling, as those days stretched into a week, the Jordan
     family became concerned.
    They called everyone they knew but couldn’t locate James. They even contacted the North Carolina State Police and asked them
     to keep an eye outfor James and his car. The media learned that James Jordan was missing, and soon every news broadcast in the state opened
     with news of his disappearance.
    Michael Jordan left Chicago and returned to North Carolina to be close to his family. He was very concerned. James Jordan
     had been more than a father to Michael. He was also his best friend. James went to almost every Bulls game and often traveled
     with the team. Michael’s teammates had gotten to know James and loved him. When Michael went into a slump or got into trouble,
     his father was still the first person he went to for advice.
    The Jordans sat around the family home, waiting. Every time the phone rang, they jumped, half hoping to hear James Jordan’s
     voice on the other end of the line, half fearing the call would bring bad news.
    When they finally got that call, it was the worst news