Watch: On this day in history, Michael Jordan gave his iconic shrug
In 2018, Michael Jordan is as much a legend as he is a man.
The six-time NBA champion is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time, and has become the platonic ideal of what an NBA “superstar” needs to strive for.
Back in 1992, however, Jordan was still piecing together his legacy. Fresh off his first Finals win in 1991, Jordan found himself back in the Finals against a talented Portland Trail Blazers team that had led the Western Conference in wins that season.
People are quick to forget, but Jordan, at one point, had a reputation for not being able to win the big game. In his younger days, Jordan struggled mightily trying to get past the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons.
When Jordan finally won a title in 1991, his detractors were quick to point out that it came at the expense of an aging Los Angeles Lakers team that was on its last legs.
The 1991-1992 Trailblazers featured a 29-year old Clyde Drexler as well as a bevy of talented role players all under the age of 30, such as Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Kevin Duckworth and Cliff Robinson.
On top of it all, there had been a growing narrative in the early 90s that Jordan was not a great shooter. Sure, he was more athletic and explosive and competitive than virtually all of his peers, but his jump shot was long considered the one crack in his armor.
On June 3, 1992, none of that seemed to matter as Jordan recorded one of the greatest performances of his career.
Jordan broke the Finals record for most points scored in a half when he dropped 35, eclipsing Elgin Baylor’s previous record of 33. While impressive, perhaps the biggest surprise came with how he scored about half of those points.
Jordan sunk a then-record six three pointers in a half (the record was eventually broken by Vince Carter in 2001), which led to one of the most iconic moments in Jordan’s storied career.
26 years ago today, Michael Jordan hit "The Shrug" (via @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/HR2d6HxrOu
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 3, 2018
Reports of Jordan’s jumper’s demise were clearly exaggerated.
The iconic shrug that Jordan gave after hitting his jumpers was indicative of what many people found alluring and annoying about him at the same time — that he was just too cool for school.
The Bulls went on to win Game 1 in dominant fashion, 122-89.
Of note, things quickly got dicey from there. The Bulls actually lost Game 2 in overtime, one of the rare NBA Finals home losses Jordan suffered in his career. After four games, the series was tied at 2-2.
As any NBA historian can tell you, a big part of Jordan’s myth came from the fact that he’s never lost an NBA Finals series, never needed a Game 7 in the Finals and went a perfect six-for-six with NBA Finals MVP awards. That’s exactly what happened to Portland, as the Bulls won their second straight championship in six games, and Jordan again earned NBA Finals MVP.
But if there’s one thing any NBA fan can tell you about the 1992 NBA Finals, perhaps aside from Jordan literally snatching Drexler’s soul from him, it’s going to be “The Shrug.”
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