“There is no “I” in team, but there is an “I” in win.” – Michael Jordan

June 12, 1991 – The Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship

This Finals was Michael Jordan‘s first NBA Finals appearance, Magic Johnson‘s last one, and the last NBA Finals trip of the Los Angeles Lakers until 2000. The Chicago Bulls would win the series 4-1. Jordan averaged 31.2 points on 56% shooting, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks en route to his first NBA Finals MVP Award.

This series would mark the end of the Lakers Showtime era and the beginning of the Bulls’ dynasty. After winning five championships in eight finals appearances in the 1980s, the Lakers would struggle for the rest of the 1990s before returning to glory again in the late 90’s and 2000s (decade) with four championships beginning the 1999-2000 season, as well as a title in 2009-10, ending the 2000s decade. The Lakers were be led by Johnson, already into his thirties and fellow All-Star James Worthy; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had retired two seasons earlier. As for the Bulls, led by MVP Michael Jordan and superstar Scottie Pippen, they would win five more championships in a seven year span cementing their status as a dynasty before struggling badly in a post-MJ era that saw them take several years to even become average.

As of 2012, the Bulls were the last team to win an NBA championship despite fielding a full roster lacking in championship or Finals experience. None of the Bulls players had logged even a minute of NBA Finals experience prior to this.

#MJMondays

Young and freakishly talented Michael Jordan, and he knows it.

“Even when I’m old and grey, I won’t be able to play it, but I’ll still love the game.” – Michael Jordan

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan