As the sports world is glued to “The Last Dance,” the ESPN 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan’s career and the 1997-98 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls, we figured we’d dig into the archives and uncover some connections between the Warriors and Jordan. The most obvious is of course Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr, who was teammates with Jordan on the Bulls from 1995 through 1998, a run that ended in three straight NBA Championships.
FUN FACT
On January 30, 1998 in Oakland, in Michael Jordan’s last game against the Warriors as a Chicago Bull, Jordan finished with 14 points, but made just two of his 17 field goal attempts – the lowest field goal total he would ever have in his Chicago Bulls career in a regular season or playoff game. His 11.8 field goal percentage in that game was the second lowest in any game of his NBA career.
JORDAN’S BEST GAME AGAINST THE WARRIORS
The most points Michael Jordan scored in a game against the Warriors was 49 on November 24, 1992 at Golden State. Jordan shot 18-of-30 from the field, including 1-of-3 from three-point range, and 12-of-14 from the free throw line. He also recorded five rebounds, seven assists, one steal and one block in 44 minutes in the 101-92 Bulls victory.
JORDAN’S LAST GAME AGAINST THE WARRIORS
Michael Jordan’s last game against the Warriors came as a member of the Washington Wizards on March 23, 2003, at The Arena in Oakland. Jordan had a team-high 24 points and four assists, but Gilbert Arenas (41 points) and Antawn Jamison (37 points) powered the Dubs to the victory. As a Washington Wizard, Jordan went 0-3 against the Warriors, but overall he was 17-9 against the Dubs, averaging 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
FORMER WARRIORS PLAYERS TO CROSS PATHS WITH JORDAN
21 former Warriors players can lay claim that they were once a teammate of Michael Jordan in the NBA, three of whom were part of the 1997-98 Bulls that are chronicled in “The Last Dance” – Jud Buechler, Scott Burrell and Dickey Simpkins.
The complete list:
- B.J. Armstrong: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1989-93, 1995; Played with Warriors 1995-97
- Corie Blount: Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1995; Played with Warriors in 2001
- Kwame Brown: Played with Jordan in Washington 2001-03; Played with Warriors 2011-12
- Jud Buechler: Played with Warriors 1992-94; Played with Jordan in Chicago 1995-98
- Scott Burrell: Played with Warriors in 1997; Played with Jordan in Chicago 1997-98
- Jason Caffey: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1995-98; Played with Warriors 1998-2000
- Brian Cardinal: Played with Jordan in Washington 2002-03; Played with Warriors 2003-04
- Joe Courtney: Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1993; Played with Warriors in 1993
- Chris Engler: Played with Warriors 1982-84; Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1985
- Rod Higgins: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1984-85, 1986; Played with Warriors 1986-92, 1994
- Larry Hughes: Played with Warriors 2000-02; Played with Jordan in Washington 2002-03
- Steve Johnson: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1984-85; Played with Warriors in 1990
- Popeye Jones: Played with Jordan in Washington 2001-02; Played with Warriors 2003-04
- Rusty LaRue: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1997-98; Played with Warriors in 2004
- Ed Neely: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1988-90, 1993; Played with Warriors 1992-93
- Robert Parish: Played with Warriors 1976-80; Played with Jordan in Chicago 1996-97
- Dickey Simpkins: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1995-97, 1998; Played with Warriors 1997-98
- Mike Smrek: Played with Jordan in Chicago 1985-86; Played with Warriors in 1990 and 1992
- David Vaughn: Played with Warriors 1997-98; Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1998
- Tony White: Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1987; Played with Warriors 1987-88
- David Wood: Played with Jordan in Chicago in 1988; Played with Warriors 1994-95
Also of note … Hall of Famer Chris Mullin won two Olympic gold medals alongside Michael Jordan, first in 1984 in Los Angeles and then in 1992 with the Dream Team in Barcelona … Former Warriors Tim Hardaway (1997, 1998), Mark Price (1989, 1992, 1993) and Chris Webber (1997) played with Jordan on the Eastern Conference All-Star Team.
STEVE KERR’S 1997 TITLE CLINCHING SHOT
Current Warriors Head Coach and former Bulls guard Steve Kerr made the game-winning shot with five seconds left in the Bulls’ 1997 NBA Finals title-clinching 88-86 win in Game 6 on June 13, 1997 at Chicago. It was Kerr’s lone game-winning shot in his NBA career. Other than that shot, he did not make a field goal attempt with 20 seconds left or fewer in the fourth quarter of a regular season or playoff game in his career.
KERR AND THE LAST DANCE
In the 1998 NBA Playoffs, Steve Kerr ranked second (.463 3P%) on the Bulls in three-point field goal percentage, making 19 of his 43 long-distance attempts. Kerr trailed only Jud Buechler’s 60 percent three-point field goal percentage, who made three of his five attempts. With 19 three-pointers made, Kerr trailed only Toni Kukoc’s team-leading 21. If you’re wondering, Scottie Pippen made 18 and Michael Jordan had 13 three-pointers in that postseason campaign.