When people think of Michael Jordan, they think of the number 23. Jordan typically wore that number during his career, but there was a time when he decided to wear 45 with the Chicago Bulls when he came back to the team during the 1994-95 season. That season ended with the Orlando Magic eliminating the Bulls, and Nick Anderson mocked the #45 jersey. Jordan didn't like that, and he got his revenge the next season.

Darrell Armstrong and Quentin Richardson talked about the 1996 Eastern Conference Finals on The Knuckleheads Podcast. Michael Jordan and the Bulls were looking for revenge after losing to the Magic the year prior, and Jordan had a big game in game four. He finished with 45 points, the same number as the jersey number that Nick Anderson mocked. Jordan apparently missed a late free throw to keep his total at 45.

Darrell Armstrong: “We ended up winning 4-2 on their court. That was the first time Horace Grant left Chicago.”

Quentin Richardson: “Yeah Y’all carried him off the court, I remember all that s**t.”

Darrell Armstrong: “They say Jordan’s trainers were like when do you want to start, he said tomorrow lifting weights. All he kept thinking was Orlando. They played us, Shaq’s last time in Orlando, they played us, they swept us. But I’ll never forget this, and you can go back and look at the stat sheet, they were f**king with Horace Grant, Horace couldn’t do nothing but put his head down and just laugh, it was on the free throw line right in front of us. Jordan, Scottie was talking s**t. Jordan had two free throws at the end of the game, he hit the first one, and missed the second one on purpose. We were like what the f**k are you doing you know. Somebody said look at the scoreboard he left 45 on the scoreboard, you know Jordan’s petty as a mother f**ker. He left 45 for last year.”

Michael Jordan got his revenge

Michael Jordan takes the time to pose for a few photos and greet spectators and friends outside of The Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic led by Novant Health. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new clinic opening off of Greenfield Street
© KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michael Jordan got his revenge on Nick Anderson for mocking his 45 jersey number, and he did it in a great way. He could've finished with more points, but he wanted that 45 to be it.

The Bulls got revenge on the Magic as well as they ended up winning the series in six games, and that sent them to the NBA Finals. Chicago went on to win it all that year as they played the Seattle Supersonics in the finals, and they won in six games.