Who Won the NBA Championship When Jordan Played Baseball?

The Chicago Bulls won the NBA Championship in 1993, the year that Michael Jordan played baseball.

The Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls were the NBA champions in the seasons during and after Jordan played baseball. They won a total of six championships during that time period. The first three championships were won while Jordan was on the team, and the last three were won after he had retired.

The 1990-1991 season

The 1990-1991 season was the beginning of a new era for the Chicago Bulls. After winning the NBA Finals in 1989, the team lost key player Michael Jordan, who took a break from basketball to play baseball. The team struggled without Jordan and did not make it to the Finals that year. In fact, they didn’t even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The 1991-1992 season

The Chicago Bulls began the 1991–92 season looking to win their second straight NBA championship. They finished the regular season with a 67–15 record, winning their fifth consecutive Central Division title. They also had the league’s best record for the second straight season and would go on to capture the NBA’s best record for an amazing third consecutive year. In the playoffs, they easily won their first two series against the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks before facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavaliers were no match for the bulls, as they would go on to win in 5 games and advanced to their third straight NBA Finals appearance.

The Dallas Mavericks

In the year 1994, the Dallas Mavericks had the honor of being the NBA champions. This was the year when Michael Jordan decided to play baseball instead of basketball. The Mavericks were able to take advantage of Jordan’s absence and win the championship.

The 1980-1981 season

The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.

The franchise began play in 1980 as an expansion team, and won its first Western Conference championship in 2006. As of 2019, the Mavericks have won three division titles (1987, 2007, 2010), two conference championships (2006, 2011), and one NBA Championship (2011).

The 1981-1982 season

It was a forgettable season for the Dallas Mavericks. They finished last in the Midwest Division with a 27–55 record. However, they did have two bright spots. First, rookie Mark Aguirre was named to the All-Rookie team. Second, second-year player Rolando Blackman averaged 18.0 points per game, which was second on the team behind Aguirre (23.0 ppg).

The Los Angeles Lakers

The 2000-2001 season

In the 2000-01 season, the Los Angeles Lakers won their second consecutive championship, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. This was the first time in franchise history that they had won back-to-back titles. Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP.

The 2001-2002 season

After winning three consecutive championships, the Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2001-2002 season looking to cement their place as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. But things didn’t go as planned. The Lakers lost in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs.

But there was one silver lining to the season: in June, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant won his first NBA championship. Bryant had been drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and then traded to the Lakers on draft night. He would go on to spend his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five championships.

Bryant’s first title came in a season that saw two other future Hall of Famers achieve greatness. First, Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon led his team to an NBA championship, defeating the New York Knicks in six games. Olajuwon was named Finals MVP for his performance, which included averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks per game.

Then, in September, Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan announced he was coming out of retirement to play baseball for the minor league Birmingham Barons. Jordan had retired from basketball in 1999 after winning six championships with the Bulls. His return to basketball would have to wait until next season.