Game 5 of the Stanley Cup took place on Sunday night at the United Center in Chicago. Among the usual star-studded crowd of celebrities like Vince Vaughn and former Chicago Blackhawks players Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito, there was another Chicago legend in the crowd — Michael Jordan.
It was only a couple months ago that Jordan became the new Charlotte Bobcats owner and confused his new city with Chicago. Was this a hint that Jordan missed the Windy City? Well his airness showed up to the United Center to watch the Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers battle it out for a series lead. The UC is often called “The House that Jordan Built,” but despite that some people were upset he was there.
Rumors are swirling around Chicago that Michael Jordan is telling top free agents like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade not to come to the Chicago Bulls. It’s hard to know if that’s true, but I have a message to those unwelcoming fans: Sunday night was not about basketball. Jordan is a legend in Chicago. If MJ wants to show up to support one of the local teams then I will welcome him with open arms. Is it really smart to sit here and complain about the man who brought six championships to Chicago when there are already the negative recruiting rumors out there? No, it’s not. If there’s any truth to those rumors it only gives Jordan more of a reason to tell players to stay away from the city and fans.
Like I said, last night wasn’t about basketball. The coolest thing about M.J.’s presence in the building had to be the jersey he was wearing. Jordan owns a custom 23 Blackhawks jersey, but he chose to sport a Jonathan Toews jersey for Game 5. I would think for Toews that had to be an amazing feeling to see Michael Jordan wearing your jersey. At the end of the day I think it’s stupid to get upset about Jordan being there; Blackhawks fans should be happy that their team won instead of focusing on someone who showed up to support them.
Photo Credit: Mouthpiece Sports
