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Michael Jordan’s Knee Struggles Needed One Rare Solution in 1996: “Recovery Time.. I’ll Be Ready Tomorrow”

Published 11/19/2022, 3:10 PM EST

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The 1996 Chicago Bulls were a team from the myths. It was the first season the six-time champions brought together their Big 3 of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Three future Hall of Famers were headlining a team that had previously three-peated. Likewise, they set the benchmark high right from the get-go. However, His Airness had to go through a unique treatment before games for almost the entire season. Notably, the five-time MVP used electronic stimulation to recover from a knee injury.

Jordan’s obsession was to become the best player on the planet. Ever since his college days, the six-time champion worked on his craft religiously. Moreover, he could withstand pain like no other. The Chicago Bulls icon even played through food poisoning in the NBA finals and dropped 38 points. When injured, Jordan would shift his focus to honing his skills and helping the team.

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Taking flight and being a scoring genius took its toll on Jordan’s body, notably, his knees. In 1996, His Airness battled through the pain for the entire season. However, to make sure he plays every game, he went through a unique electric treatment.

Michael Jordan could do anything to not miss a game

Despite Jordan returning in 1995, the Bulls were taken out by the Orlando Magic in that season’s playoffs. And the loss was too much for the troops to bear. In 1995, the Bulls signed Dennis Rodman which became the first step to the rise of the giants. The Bulls would go on to beat the all-time regular season wins record with an impeccable record of 72-10. Their greatness spread all around the basketball community. However, the most surprising feature about this run was probably MJ doing it all on a bad knee.

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After winning the record 70th game of the season, the then three-time champion was enjoying a game on gin, as seen in this special feature. But while enjoying the session, Michael Jordan had an electric simulator attached to help his knees get ready for the next night’s game against the Sacramento Kings. Jordan said, “Recovery time, I will be ready tomorrow”. Despite having a bad knee, nothing was going to stop His Airness from lacing up his iconic Jordan. He played all 82 games that season.

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However, judging by his standard, a regular season would mean nothing unless the Chicago Bulls finished the season with gold. Likewise, Michael Jordan dominated in the playoffs and capped off a near-perfect season in 1996. His Airness won the MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP honors that season. He had truly announced himself back on the big stage averaging 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in the 4-2 demolition of the Seattle SuperSonics.

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The Bulls would go on to win their second three-peat in 1998 after which Jordan would retire for the second time in his NBA career. MJ was willing to do whatever it takes to win. And his recovery methods in 1996 showed just the extent to which the NBA Hall of Famer would go to make sure he can help his team.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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