Jordan’s alleged “Flu Game” propelled the Bulls to a 90-88 Game 5 victory over the Jazz by putting up 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms before and during the game.
Over the years, however, the real reason for Jordan’s suffering has come into question. Rather than the flu, some have speculated that Jordan was feeling the after-effects of a hangover, while others think it was a bad case of food poisoning. Jordan’s longtime trainer Tim Grover set the record straight, to the best of his ability, during a recent appearance on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast.
Grover said Jordan ordered some late-night pizza from a place in Park City, Utah, just outside Salt Lake City, the evening before the game. When Grover answered the hotel door he saw five delivery people waiting, which he found suspicious. Grover aired his concerns, but Jordan, in typical fashion, responded with “Ah man, f— you,” and ate the pizza anyway. Later on that evening, things took a turn for the worse.
Grover said, “One hundred percent it was food poisoning, 100 percent. But obviously it just sounds better to be the ‘Flu Game’ than the ‘Food Poisoning Game.’
” … Nobody ate the pizza but him. Nobody. And there were no signs of flu, anything, being sick before that. Then, about 3 o’ clock in the morning, I get a call to my room that just says, ‘Hey, man, come to MJ’s room’ and he’s literally curled up in the fetal position. … I’ve not known any flu that can hit you that fast, but I know how quickly food poisoning can hit you.
” … That’s my story, that’s what I observed. I was in the room when all this was going on, so if anybody had a better look than I did I’d like to see who that person was because they definitely weren’t there.”
During the finale of ‘The Last Dance’, Jordan said he just ate bad pizza.
