LeBron James has, in the past, suffered from cramps at some of the most consequential times of the season. But so did Michael Jordan.
James was forced out of the final minutes of the Miami Heat's Game 4 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals. Two years later, James again had to leave the floor due to cramping against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the 2014 Finals.
Unfortunately for LeBron, some fans cried foul. Despite the fact cramping has an inherent impact on a player's ability to move and cut, there were those who claimed James was being soft. Would the guy LeBron is chasing, Jordan, ever come out due to cramping?
Well, apparently the answer is yes.
Jordan's performance in 1997 is known for the “Flu Game,” when Jordan played through illness and helped the Bulls win Game 5 in Utah against the Jazz.
But as detailed in Roland Lazenby's book, Michael Jordan: The Life, Jordan sat out late in Game 4 due to a Gatorade mixup that caused subsequent cramping (via Jasmyn Wimbish of CBS Sports):
It would later be learned that a Bulls team assistant had mistakenly replaced the players' Gatorade with GatorLode, a heavy drink used for building carbs. “It was like eating baked potatoes,” explained trainer Chip Schaeffer. Down the stretch, Chicago's players complained of stomach cramps and Jordan even asked to sit for a time, something he never did at a key moment.
Jordan still played over 42 minutes and even scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but he was not able to pull the Bulls even.
One even wonders whether GatorLode might have facilitated Jordan's later symptoms ahead of Game 5, which personal trainer Tim Grover actually claims were the result of food poisoning.
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