Sick Day (Michael Jordan)

Game 5 of the 1996 NBA finals. Michael Jordan’s doctor finds him curled up in the fetal position with a 102-degree fever, an intense headache and violent nausea. Rumors of his condition spread among the news media. Many assume he wouldn’t play. But not James Worthy, Jordan’s former teammate at N. Carolina…

“He’ll play,” Worthy warned. “He’ll figure out what he can do, he’ll conserve his strength, and have a big game.”(1)

Before the game, television cameras capture both his illness and his determination to play. In the first half Jordan competes at an exceptionally high level, scoring 21 points and keeping the Bulls in the contest.

By half-time, Jordan is pale and exhausted. Unyielding to his pain, he continues to play. With forty-six seconds left in the game and Utah leading by a point, Jordan is fouled.

He looks frail, haggard, and appears to have difficulty even standing up. Yet Michael’s will is stronger. He cans the free throw and drops a key three pointer moments later to seal the victory…tallying a game high 39 points on his “sick day.”

Take it from Michael Jordan. If you make up your mind to win, nothing or nobody can stop you.

(1)David Halberstam, Playing for Keeps (New York, Random House, l999), p. 13.