“The Flu Game” is one of Michael Jordan‘s most memorable moments when he was with the Chicago Bulls. However, while many thought he was dealing with flu-like symptoms during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, it turns Jordan was suffering from food poisoning from pizza he ate the night before. The ninth and 10th episodes of The Last Dance aired on Sunday, and Jordan revealed he ate an entire pizza the night before Game 5. He was with his trainer Tim Grover and personal assistant George Koehler at is hotel room in Utah, and when the pizza was ordered, an entire crew arrived to deliver it.
“Five guys delivering one pizza,” Grover said. “They’re all trying to look in. I take the pizza. I pay them. I put this pizza down. I say, ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this pizza.’” It turned out Glover was right about the pizza because Jordan got sick that night and it carried into the game the following evening. However, it still wasn’t enough to bring Jordan down, recording 38 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a 90-88 win. The game showed how great Jordan was at the time, but social media lost it when they found out bad pizza was the cause of Jordan’s illness.
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โHello, Slice of Utah, how can I help you?โ
โ Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) May 18, 2020
โYes hello, this is Tim the personal trainer for Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan.โ
โUhhh …โ
โI would like one large cheese pizza delivered to Michael Jordanโs hotel room at the Salt Lake City Marriott.โ
โOk.โ #TheLastDance
“Again, please send the large cheese pizza to the hotel room of Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. Feel free to send an entourage with your delivery man. We won’t suspect anything.” https://t.co/IdkmifTMFs
โ Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 18, 2020
Delivery pizza. Go figure.
โ DiGiorno (@DiGiorno) May 18, 2020
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If you told me Michael Jordan has eaten a slice of pizza every day since 1997 just to prove *to* pizza that heโs better than pizza โฆ I would believe it.
โ Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 18, 2020
โI ate the pizza, all by myself. Nobody else ate the pizza.โ
โ Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) May 18, 2020
Iโve never felt so connected to Michael Jordan
The pizza that poisoned Michael Jordan pic.twitter.com/Z7J8DhE01b
โ Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) May 18, 2020
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im just so confused did someone pick up the phone and say hello i would like one pizza for nba superstar michael jordan
โ Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) May 18, 2020
Michael Jordanโs pizza #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/aK0EPohfqX
โ Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) May 18, 2020
โHello… Pizza for Michael Jordanโ pic.twitter.com/WNR5zRVMoZ
โ Joel (@JoelMetsNY) May 18, 2020
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Mj: It was food poisoning
โ Vฮฑโฮฑrie โ (@LeeenaBellle87) May 18, 2020
What I heard: 5 men with from Utah tried to kill Michael Jordan with a pizza and Iโll never forgive Utah.
Michael Jordan after eating that pizza pic.twitter.com/xFd1ewnYZ0
โ LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 18, 2020
Iโm going to need a whole separate documentary about the guys who poisoned Michael Jordanโs pizza
โ andi zeisler (@andizeisler) May 18, 2020
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A Utah pizza joint food poisons Michael Jordan before one of the biggest games of his life and he didnโt burn the place down the next week? Come on.
โ Molly Knight (@molly_knight) May 18, 2020
Option A: Michael Jordan ordered pizza, used his real name, the pizza place risked their job/business to “poison” the pizza, MJ ate the whole thing, no one else had any.
โ TravTyJay WilShelNtley (@HighlightsUte) May 18, 2020
Option B: Jordan got drunk and was hungover.
Occam’s razor, y’all!!! #TheLastDance
The 5 guys who delivered Michael Jordanโs pizza. #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/RKIhdg7ZVy
โ GoBlueDET (@GoBlueDET) May 18, 2020
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This is the pizza Michael Jordan ate before the flu game pic.twitter.com/yliHq8VkYD
โ Dennis (@GipperGrove) May 18, 2020
I have so much trouble believing that Michael Jordan has – for 20 years – believed he was food poisoned before an NBA finals game and we are somehow just now hearing about it /the pizza place wasnโt firebombed
โ Wesley (@WesleyLowery) May 18, 2020
The first time Iโve been able to relate to Michael Jordan in the Last Dance is when he ordered pizza
โ Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) May 18, 2020
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Imagine trying to poison Michael Jordan with bad pizza and STILL losing. #TheLastDance
โ Jeremy Conrad (@ManaByte) May 18, 2020
Did they tell the pizza restaurant that the pizza was for Michael Jordan? Something doesnโt add up here.
โ Brandon Walker (@BWalkerSEC) May 18, 2020
The pizza Michael Jordan ate before that Utah game #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/7iEo0iwX99
โ Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) May 18, 2020
