Billionaire Michael Jordan Called Stephen Curry’s Historic Season Meaningless Only Due to LeBron James in 2017: “He Did It”

Published 05/13/2023, 12:02 AM EDT

Up until 2016, the Chicago Bulls’ iconic record of 72-10 seemed unconquerable. But that was until the Golden State Warriors, fresh off an NBA title, began their reign of dominance. Starting the season winning 24 straight games, Stephen Curry and Co. looked invincible in their pursuit of history. They managed to live up to the expectations and finished the regular season with a 73-9 record, thus cementing their place as the greatest regular season team of all time. However, their impeccable season had a stain because of a certain superstar from Akron, Ohio. Bulls icon Michael Jordan made sure to point that out to Warriors owner, Joe Lacob in 2017.

Memorably, their historic season was also the year LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did the impossible. James and the Cavs came back from down 3-1 in the NBA Finals. He kept the Bay from having the perfect season, something Michael Jordan was able to do with the Bulls all those years ago.

Michael Jordan took the brutal route with Warriors owner

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In 1996, the Chicago Bulls rewrote history, winning 72 games in the regular season. Nevertheless, that was far from the validation His Airness and his teammates wanted. They yearned for a perfect season, a campaign that would eventually end with a championship. Unsurprisingly, Jordan and Co. did just that.

The Warriors did beat Jordan’s regular season record, but they ran into LeBron James, a man on a mission to give the city of Cleveland its first title in over 50 years. Stephen Curry and the Warriors not only lost in the Finals, but they were embarrassed. One of the greatest teams in NBA history lost a series after taking a 3-1 lead, a milestone the Warriors didn’t want to associate with.

In 2017, all the owners met for several dinners with Michael Jordan also being present, and he just had to let Lacob know their historic 2016 run wasn’t as great as his own. “Michael Jordan — people are drinking and having a good time and all that, but there was a moment where he said, you know, ’73 don’t mean [blank].’ He did it, Michael Jordan did that. And I looked at him and I just decided not to make a big deal of it,” said the Warriors owner according to CBS Sports.

The majority of the NBA world discredit the Warriors’ 2016 run. But that’s not the case with Lacob. He believes there is still a lot to celebrate from their historic season. He even considered having a banner at the Chase Center to mark the feat.

The Golden State Warriors made history that year. To this day, no organization has even come in the breath of the 73-win mark. Despite their impossible achievement, however, all fans remember is LeBron James embarrassing the Bay on the biggest stage.

What did the Bulls do after 72 wins?

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There might have been a moment of celebration after the Bulls completed 72 wins, but it was just that – a moment. Michael Jordan and the Bulls quickly shifted their focus to the bigger picture. And it was spearheaded by Ron Harper.

The two-way bench star made t-shirts for his teammates that said, “72-10 don’t mean a thing without the ring”. That was enough motivation to complete a picture-perfect year. Chicago would beat the Seattle Supersonics to win the title, completing the season of dreams.

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Harper’s initiative might also be the inspiration behind Jordan’s comments to Lacob. It was a quote he remembers, and with his competitive fire, it is one he will repeat over and over if the opportunity arises.

WATCH THIS STORY: Bubba Wallace Makes a “Pressure” Revelation Involving Notorious Michael Jordan Weeks After Asking to Be Replaced

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having composed close to 2000 articles, he aspires to manage his own team one day and is pursuing a top-tier college-level management program specializing in sports. Anuj's love for basketball blossomed after he started following the NBA a few years ago, and he decided to merge his writing skills with his understanding of this thrilling game.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

Billionaire Michael Jordan Called Stephen Curry’s Historic Season Meaningless Only Due to LeBron James in 2017: “He Did It”

Michael Jordan took the brutal route with Warriors owner

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What did the Bulls do after 72 wins?