Michael Jordan Was ‘Upset’ Charles Barkley Won 1993 MVP Over Him And He Used That As Motivation To Beat Suns In NBA Finals: ‘You Can Have That, I’m Gonna Get This’

Jordan was third in MVP voting in 1992-93 behind Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Jordan’s Chicago Bulls faced Barkley’s Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals and His Airness used his MVP snub as motivation. 

“I was a little bit upset that I didn’t get the MVP that year and they gave it to Charles Barkley,” Jordan said in The Last Dance documentary. “But with that said, okay fine. You can have that. I’m gonna get this.”

Jordan put up incredible numbers in the 1993 NBA Finals. He averaged 41.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.7 blocks in the six-game series. 

The Bulls beat the Suns in six games to win their third title in a row. 

“It’s a relief,” Jordan told Bob Costas after the Bulls won Game 6. “Plus it’s great to win. I think we’ve gone through a lot. Me personally, I’ve gone through a lot up to now, but to cap it off this way means a lot to me, believe me.”

Jordan retired from the NBA in 1993 following the murder of his father. He played baseball during the 1993-94 NBA season before returning to the NBA near the end of the 1994-95 season. 

The Bulls lost to the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 1995 playoffs. It was the only postseason series Jordan lost from 1991-1998. 

Chicago won three straight championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Jordan finished his legendary Bulls career with five MVPs, 10 scoring titles, three steals titles, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six rings and six Finals MVPs. 

In two stints with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.9 blocks. He won the 1984-85 Rookie of the Year Award.

The Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Suns, Seattle SuperSonics and Utah Jazz (twice) for their six championships. Jordan averaged 33.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 35 NBA Finals games.

Chicago’s dynasty was broken up in the offseason of 1998 by general manager Jerry Krause and owner Jerry Reinsdorf. Jordan and Phil Jackson retired and Scottie Pippen was traded to the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade deal. 

Jordan finished his iconic career with averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. The Hall of Famer is first in NBA history in points per game, fourth in steals, fifth in field goals and second in player efficiency rating.

MJ also holds the NBA record for most points (63) scored in a playoff game.