Michael Jordan Flu Game: Was He Poisoned?
In game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan put on a remarkable second half performance to secure a 90-88 win, putting Chicago ahead in the series 3-2. Jordan's 38 point performance was that much more impressive considering the illness he was visible suffering through.
For years the "Flu Game" has been considered one of the most unforgettable moments in NBA championship history. Emerging details from a seemingly reliable source now says the flu had nothing to with Jordan's physical state — that in fact, the star was poisoned.
Michael Jordan's trainer at the time, Tim Grover, sat down with TrueHoopTV Tuesday to discuss his book "Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable." In it he explains how a late night room service delivery ended in food poisoning:
So we order pizza. Five guys came to deliver this pizza. I take the pizza and I tell them: 'I've got a bad feeling about this. ... I've just got a bad feeling about this. Out of everybody in the room, [MJ] was the only one who ate. Nobody else had it. And then 2 o'clock in the morning I get a call to my room. Come to the room. He's curled up in the fetal position. We're looking at him, finding the team physician at that time. Immediately I told him it's food poisoning. Not the flu.
This is not the first theory as to what caused Jordan's flu like appearance during his improbable game 5 performance. A recent debate between Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons speculated that a hangover was to blame, a claim Glover says is completely groundless.