NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 1 · MARCH 2, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE RETIRED. HE PLAYED BASEBALL. HE CAME BACK. AND THEN HE DID THIS.
55 Points In His 5th Game Back. He'd Been Gone 17
Months.
JORDAN — COMEBACK GAME 5 KOBE'S RETURN (2013-14) LEBRON COMEBACK PPG
JORDAN'S CAREER AVG JORDAN FG% THAT NIGHT MINUTES PLAYED
Jordan walked away from basketball in October 1993 at the height of his powers — back-to-back-to-back
champion, Finals MVP three times running. He spent 17 months playing minor league baseball. On March
18, 1995, he came back to the Bulls. Game 5 of that return: Madison Square Garden, 55 points, 21-of-37
from the field. The number 55 on a jersey he'd grabbed because 23 was retired league-wide that night for
Magic Johnson. The Double Nickel.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls @ New York Knicks 1995-03-28
5 4 21/37 W 113–111
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
The Double Nickel
HIS 5TH GAME BACK. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. 55 POINTS.
March 28, 1995. Madison Square Garden — the most hostile building in basketball for a visiting player.
Jordan had been back exactly 5 games. The night before, the league had retired #23 across the entire NBA
in honor of Magic Johnson's HIV announcement anniversary, which meant Jordan had to grab a different
jersey from the equipment room. He grabbed #45. Then he scored 55 points on the Knicks in their house.
The Bulls won 113–111. Jordan was shooting 57% from the field in game 5 of his comeback. Five games.
Seventeen months of baseball. He came back and immediately dropped 55 on the most famous court in the
world. The Double Nickel.
MJ VS TODAY 03
Greatest Comeback Performance In Sports History?
JORDAN 1995 BEST COMPARABLE
GAME KOBE (ACHILLES, '13)
5th back Game 1 — 13 pts
POINTS BIRD (BACK, '88)
55 Returned at ~75%
VS
FG% MJ 5TH GAME AVG
57% 26 PPG (others)
TIME AWAY JORDAN 5TH GAME
17 months 55 pts at MSG
No athlete in major American sports history has returned from a 17-month absence in a different sport and
posted a performance like this in game 5 back. The 55-point night at MSG isn't just the greatest comeback
game — it might be the greatest athletic statement in sports history. He didn't ease back in. He didn't manage.
He went to Madison Square Garden and dropped 55.
What's the greatest individual comeback performance in sports history?
JORDAN'S DOUBLE NICKEL KOBE'S TWO FTS AFTER ACL TEAR TIGER WINNING THE 2019 MASTERS
MJ'S FIRST GAME BACK — 19 PTS @ INDY
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
THE DETAIL NOBODY TALKS ABOUT
He Grabbed #45 Because #23 Was Retired That
Night For Magic. Then Scored 55.
The night Jordan dropped 55 on the Knicks, the NBA had retired #23 league-wide as part
of a Magic Johnson tribute event. Jordan had to play in #45 — his old Birmingham Barons
baseball number. He'd never worn it in an NBA game as a Bull. Didn't matter. He went for
55. The symbolism is almost too clean: Jordan stripped of his identity number, playing in
an unfamiliar jersey, 17 months removed from basketball, in Madison Square Garden —
and he still dropped 55. The uniform was different. The result was the same.
I wasn't thinking about the number. I was thinking about winning.
— MICHAEL JORDAN, POST-GAME, MARCH 28 1995
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
POINTS — 5TH GAME OF COMEBACK MONTHS AWAY FROM BASKETBALL
55 At Madison Square Garden. In someone 17 October 1993 to March 1995. Most players
else's number. After 17 months of who leave for a year never return to elite
baseball. form.
GAMES PLAYED IN HIS COMEBACK BEFORE
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE THAT NIGHT MSG
21-of-37. Not a garbage-time stat line. Four previous games: 19 pts (IND), 21 pts
Elite efficiency on high volume. (BOS), 19 pts (ORL), 27 pts (ATL). Then 55
at MSG.
45 THE JERSEY NUMBER HE WORE
His #23 was unavailable that night. He grabbed #45 from the equipment room. And scored 55.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Scottie Pippen
CHICAGO BULLS · 1987–2004
19.4 PPG · 6.7 RPG · 5.9 APG — 1995-96
The Best Player On Any Other Team
Pippen finished 5th in MVP voting the same year Jordan won it. In the only full season Jordan missed (1993-
94), Pippen averaged 22 and took the Bulls to 55 wins. On literally any other team in NBA history he's the
undisputed franchise player. He happened to exist next to the greatest of all time, which permanently buried
his individual legacy.
The Jordan Connection: 6 championships together. Jordan called him the most complete player he ever
played with.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
MJ MONDAYS The Jordan Era · 1984–2003
Every Monday. No exceptions.