Trainer: Michael Jordan Was Poisoned Before ‘Flu Game’

(CBS) We all remember Michael Jordan’s famous “flu game.” The night before Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, Jordan became terribly ill with what was reported as the flu. A little sickness wasn’t going to stop the future Hall of Famer, though, as Jordan went out and dropped 38 points as the Bulls took a 3-2 series lead with a 90-88 win over the Jazz. But was Jordan sick… or poisoned? “Yes, 100 percent,” Jordan’s trainer Tim Grover told TrueHoop TV. “He was poisoned for the ‘Flu Game.’ Everyone called it a flu game, but we sat there. We were in the room.” Here’s the full story from Grover: “We were in Park City, Utah, up in a hotel,” Grover explained. “Room service stopped at like nine o’clock. And he got hungry, and we really couldn’t find any other place to eat. So we said, eh, the only thing I can find is a pizza place. So we say all right, order pizza. “We had been there for a while. Everybody knew what hotel; Park City was not many hotels back then. So everyone kind of knew where we were staying. So we order pizza. They come to deliver it, and five guys came to deliver this pizza. “I take the pizza, and I tell them: ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this. … I’ve just got a bad feeling about this.’ Out of everybody in the room, (Jordan) was the only one who ate. Nobody else had it. “And then, at 2 o’clock in the morning, I get a call to my room. I come to the room, and he’s curled up in the fetal position. We’re looking at him, finding the team physician at that time. And immediately I told him it’s food poisoning. Guaranteed. Not the flu.” Source: chicago.cbslocal.com

Phil Jackson - Eleven Rings

Penned by former Chicago Bulls and potential future L.A. Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success ($17) tells the story of Jackson’s rise from a kid in North Dakota to a leader of hyper-athletic, enormously-ego’d men, with plenty of insight on how he handled the personalities of his players and got all-time greats like Jordan and Kobe to buy into a team concept bigger than themselves. Source: global14.com

Air Jordan Price Guide 2013

Shopping for sneakers isn’t limited to retail stores and online shops. It’s a practice that has long since jumped into the realm of eBay, internet sneaker forums, and other unofficial third-party resellers (most notably Flight Club, which has been around for over a decade and has served as an unofficial price guide), and if you are indeed buying outside an official retailer, chances are you’re paying more than the suggested retail price. That’s because the Air Jordan and sneaker culture has always been strong and kicks have held dollar value rather impressively with rates following the most basic “supply and demand” ideas of economics. Paying above retail after a sneaker release has become an accepted part of the culture these days, and getting a firm grasp on the “value” of a sneaker post-retail is paramount in ensuring that you’re not spending more than you probably should. Two fellas by the names of Michael Fox and Steven Fox (either brothers or a funny coincidence) have compiled tons of data and neatly arranged it into the Air Jordan Price Guide 2013, which includes over 400 Air Jordans that date back to the original days in ’85. A resource like the Air Jordan Price Guide 2013 sorta calls back to days when other popular collectibles like basketball trading cards and comic books had dedicated price guides in Beckett Basketball and Wizard that we enthusiastically read through front to back just to keep tabs on our personal collections and those on our “wanted” lists, and sneaker collectors can attest to the fact that sometimes the simple act of ownership gets the blood flowing like no other. And let’s face it – we’re not playing basketball with our Star ’84 Jordan XRCs in our socks and we’re not fighting evil-doers at night with copies of original Spider Man issues in our back pockets, so “collecting” Air Jordans and other sneakers and keeping them in pristine shape shouldn’t be treated with disdain because hey – someone could be fiendishly hunting for a pair you’ve left deadstock in your closet. Of course, a sneaker price guide of some sort might be much better off as a monthly publication rather than a yearly one, because sneaker prices tend to fluctuate (usually in an upwards direction), but some unusual events could lower the overall price of a shoe. Take the Air Jordan XI “Bred” restock for instance; with more pairs ready to flood the market and the opportunity to purchase at retail popping up once again, the price for a pair of Breds from an outside seller will undoubtedly go down – for now. The fact is that sneakers have and will always have a primary purpose – to be laced up on your feet and be broken into the ground, but there’s no telling when you’ll have the urge to cop a release from years ago or maybe unload a few of your own to cop something newer. Source: By Cory McClanahan on 21 March 2013 in SHOE GAME