Images taken from USA Today Sports

Today, 14th February, Valentine’s day, is a day of love and celebration. The Day of Saint Valentine. But for NBA fans, this was also the day when Michael Jordan once wore no.12. No, not his regular 23. But a weird no. 12.

Advertisement

Yes, the story goes that on Valentine’s day, 1990. Michael Jordan’s jersey was supposedly stolen from the locker room. And why? or who was the perpetrator? Nobody really knows.

But that theft is what really inspired MJ. This was a game against Orlando and the last of a 6-game road trip where they lost to LA and Houston.

Things were not dire but everyone was frustrated and wanted to go home. They didn’t care about the result. And of course, being valentine’s day, they probably missed their significant others. But Jordan was pissed off.

How a simple theft on Valentine’s day 1990, led to Michael Jordan’s 49-point outburst

Yes, a stolen jersey meant that the staff was scrambling to find a spare before tip-off. And as it was the final leg of a road trip, they were running thin. They didn’t have a spare “23 Jordan” jersey.

The only one they had was a no.12 without a name. And as the story goes, MJ went on to drop 49 and beat the Orlando Magic. It was one of his 22 40-point games that season.

While the game itself and his scoring outburst might have had a negligible impact. But the fact that the jersey remains one of the three numbers Jordan wore during his lifetime, is why it remains iconic.

Why was it stolen?

Nobody knows clearly, but it was enough for MJ to get frustrated over. And he turned a potential 0-6 road game into a 1-5. Talk about resurgence.

Jordan’s outburst would incite a 9-game winning streak for the Bulls. And when they faced Orlando again, later in the season, Michael scored just 38.

But as we look back on it this valentine’s day, it remains the most iconic story to have unfolded in NBA on the 14th of February.