NOSEBLEED SPORTS MEDIA
MJ Mondays
NO DEBATE. JUST RECEIPTS.
VOL. 1, NO. 2 · MARCH 9, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
THE MOST POINTS EVER SCORED IN A REGULAR SEASON GAME THAT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT.
Jordan's Career High: 69 Points. Most People
Think It's 63.
MICHAEL JORDAN KOBE BRYANT LEBRON JAMES
The world thinks Jordan's career regular-season high is 63 — because of the '86 playoff game against
the Celtics that Larry Bird called 'God disguised.' But in the regular season, Jordan's actual career high is
69 points, scored on March 28, 1990 against Cleveland. He shot 23-of-37 from the field (62%), grabbed
18 rebounds, dished 6 assists — and they won. He was 26 years old. Cleveland had no answer. Nobody
was talking about it in 1990 because the Bulls weren't winning championships yet. The number got buried.
It shouldn't have.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers 1990-03-28
18 6 23/37 W
POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS FG RESULT
Sixty. Nine.
THE CAREER HIGH THE WORLD FORGOT
March 28, 1990. The Bulls were in Cleveland — a building that hadn't exactly been kind to them in the Jordan
era, but tonight it didn't matter. Jordan dropped 69 points on 23-of-37 shooting. He also grabbed 18
rebounds. For context: 18 rebounds is what a dominant center posts on a good night. Jordan — a shooting
guard — grabbed 18 while also scoring 69. He added 6 assists. The Bulls won. Jordan was 26 years old and
averaging 33.6 points per game for the season. Nobody would name this game if you asked them Jordan's
career high. That's exactly the problem.
MJ VS TODAY 03
Could Jordan Have Beaten Kobe's 81?
JORDAN BEST (1989-90) WHAT WOULD IT HAVE TAKEN
SEASON PPG KOBE'S 81
33.6 28/46 FG
CAREER HIGH (RS) VS JORDAN BEST FG%
69 78% single game
FG% SEASON ON 37 FGA
.526 ~29 FG possible
Jordan's best single-game FG% in our data is 83% — shooting 24-of-29 at Philadelphia on November 16,
1988. On his high-volume games he shot efficiently. The argument that Jordan could have broken 81 in the
right matchup is not wild. He chose to win. Kobe chose the record.
If Jordan played to score instead of win — how high could he have gone?
70-75 76-80 80+ JORDAN ALWAYS PLAYS TO WIN
THE COLDEST MJ MOMENT 04
FORGOTTEN GREATNESS
He Scored 69 And Nobody Remembers It.
The reason nobody knows Jordan's career high is 69 is because the Bulls lost in the first
round that year. Context ate the number. But consider what 69 points in a regular season
game actually means: it has happened 4 times in NBA history — Wilt (100), Kobe (81),
David Thompson (73), and Jordan (69). He's in the top 4 all-time and people debate
whether it happened. It happened. He also had 18 rebounds.
THE MJ STAT VAULT 05
PPG — 1989-90 SEASON
FG% IN THE 69-POINT GAME
33.6 Third-highest scoring season of his 62%
Not a spray-and-pray performance. He
career. He also averaged 6.9 rebounds
was efficient. 23 made on 37 attempts.
and 6.3 assists.
PLAYERS TO SCORE 69+ IN A REGULAR
REBOUNDS IN THE 69-POINT GAME
SEASON GAME
18 A center's rebounding output. From the 4
Wilt (100), Kobe (81), David Thompson
shooting guard. On the same night he
(73), Jordan (69). He's in the top 4 all-
scored 69.
time.
26 JORDAN'S AGE WHEN HE SCORED 69
He had 11 more seasons left. The 69-point game was barely the beginning.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Horace Grant
CHICAGO BULLS / ORLANDO MAGIC · 1987–2004
14.2 PPG · 11.0 RPG — 1993-94 (FIRST SEASON WITHOUT JORDAN)
The Defensive Anchor Nobody Remembers
Grant was the physical glue of the first three-peat. The power forward who did every dirty job — set the
screens, fought for every rebound, guarded the opponent's best power forward while Jordan and Pippen
handled the ball. When he left for Orlando in 1994, he helped take the Magic to the Finals. His departure from
Chicago exposed exactly how important he was.
The Jordan Connection: Jordan called Grant's defense 'what let me gamble on offense.' Grant left because he
felt underpaid and underappreciated. He was right on both counts.
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.