Chicago Bulls: 15 toughest players in franchise history
player. 24. . SG. (1984-93, 1994-98). Michael Jordan. 5
If this was a list of the greatest basketball players to ever lace them up, then Michael Jeffrey Jordan would be at the top of the list. For his illustrious 15-year NBA career, Jordan averaged an astonishing 30.1 points per game, to go along with 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest.
He currently sits at fifth on the all-time NBA scoring list with 32,292 points, despite missing an entire season in his prime (1993-94) and three more seasons due to retirement (1998-01).
You don’t need anyone to lecture you on just how good Jordan was. He is the best player in NBA history, (though that point still seems up for debate by some) and transcended his era which was filled with other veritable superstars.
However, this list is all about toughness. And for all of his accolades, the one thing Jordan did exceedingly well was exude mental toughness. Time after time, Jordan delivered when it mattered most — in crunch time.
He thrived in pressure-packed situations and wanted the ball in his hands when at times when the pressure would have crushed lesser players. You could write a tome just highlighting his countless game-winners.
However, the one game that serves as a microcosm of Jordan’s toughness above all others, is the infamous ‘Flu Game.’
With the 1997 NBA Finals tied 2-2, the Bulls went into the pivotal Game 5 without their superstar at 100 percent. Long thought to be the flu, it was later revealed that Jordan was battling food poisoning that game, a result of eating a room-service pizza the night before.
After the Utah Jazz opened up a huge 16-point first-quarter lead, Jordan took over. He finished the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals to include the go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) 3-pointer.
There were moments in the game where it looked like Jordan was about to collapse and others where you wondered why he wasn’t in a hospital hooked up to an IV. But Jordan gritted out a tremendous performance demonstrating his superior mental toughness — a skill that lands him on our countdown.