Following their elimination at the hands of the New York Knicks in the second round of the 1994 playoffs and enduring a season marked by average offensive performance, the Chicago Bulls were overjoyed when Michael Jordan announced his return on March 18, 1995. While the five-time MVP initially donned the No. 45 jersey upon his return, his later decision to revert to No. 23 during the 1995 playoffs resulted in the Bulls enduring a $100,000 loss.
The Bulls endured a massive fine for MJ
Upon his return to the NBA for the final 17 games of the ‘94-95 campaign, Mike – playing for the first time without his father – chose to wear No. 45 to begin a new chapter in his career. Being the number that he wore in high school, MJ resonated with it and even averaged 26.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game in the regular season. Even in the first round of the playoffs, the new-look 6’6” shooting guard continued to dominate as he averaged a series-high 32.3 points per game against the Charlotte Hornets.
However, after the Bulls dropped Game 1 of the second-round series against the Orlando Magic, with Jordan scoring just 19 points on 36.4% shooting, Magic guard Nick Anderson taunted Jordan, suggesting that No. 45 lacked the dominance of No. 23. Motivated by the comment, the 14-time All-Star made the decision to switch back to his legendary number.
In 1995, Michael Jordan was fined $25,000 when he changed jerseys from No. 45 to No. 23 during the playoffs without approval
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As pleased as the NBA was to see its iconic face back, they didn’t appreciate the team or the player giving them no prior heads-up about the jersey change and eventually placed a fine of $25,000 each time Mike donned No. 23 on his back after Game 2. However, knowing how Mike was hellbent on following his own ways, the Bulls readily paid the fines only so that Jordan could wear his desired number.
No. 23 couldn’t help Jordan and his Bulls reign supreme
After the game, Jordan seemed to have rediscovered his veteran form, scoring 38 points to lead Chicago to level the series. Then, in the next three games, he dropped game-high points consecutively while averaging 35.0 points per game. However, Orlando still managed to win two of those three games.
In Game 6, facing elimination, Jordan’s clutch performance faltered, as he managed 24 points on 42.1% shooting while committing a game-high six turnovers. Although Jordan hoped the switch back to No. 23 would help him return to peak form, the Bulls were eliminated from the playoffs, and the $100,000 fine only further compounded their disappointment.