When disembarking at Roissy, Michael Jordan warned: “I’m not giving you my schedule, you’re going to follow me everywhere. » And then ultimately, Paris, Mike knows… There were his visits in 1985 and 1990 (we came close to a riot at the Geo André stadium). “And then I came here with the family a fortnight ago. I spent a few days in your capital then I went to Monaco before going to Spain for a golf competition. »
As you get off the plane: “Hello”!
Not sure that the FBI and the French secret services realized this themselves. Still, “MJ” disembarked from the 747 on private Air Atlanta flight 1014, at terminal T9 at Charles-de-Gaulle airport. It is 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, 1997. This plane has a history. Jordan had always said that he wanted to come to Europe on condition that he took the Concorde, to limit the length of the trip. Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Bulls, found a compromise, chartering this 747 equipped, for the occasion, with 92 business class seats, with kitchen, living room and bedrooms.
The Bulls seem not to have suffered too much from the trip. Michael gets off the plane with his son Jeffrey. The tone is set immediately. ” Good morning ! “, launches” MJ “in French to the cluster of fans who have come to wait for him and to the pack of journalists already launched on his heels.
Not an autograph… Michael knows the music. In all the cities of the world where he passes, there is a riot. Time to install his bags in his suite on the fourth floor of the Intercontinental hotel, located a stone’s throw from Place Vendôme, and here are the Bulls at the Pierre de Coubertin room for two hours of training. Jeffrey accompanies his dad. Marcus, the other son, stays wisely with Juanita, the mother, who is still, at that time, Mrs. Jordan.
A beret on the head for the “French look”
Mike would have a cold and injured a toe, which deprives him of the last half hour of training. 8 p.m., shower, snack and sleep. The next day will be long. It starts at 7:30 a.m. because you have to go to the Champ de Mars, opposite the Eiffel Tower. Official photo requires. Security hasn’t slept a wink all night but remains hyper-vigilant. The Bulls are a good half hour ahead of schedule. It’s going to rain, let’s hurry. All behind the cord and click-clac, thank you Kodak (in those days, no digital devices, no smartphones).
Mike poses with a beret, which he will hardly take off during his stay in the capital. ” It’s an attempt at a French look, he explains. I said to myself : ” In France, do as the French do… “” The Bulls, obviously not there to joke, take the direction of Bercy. For shopping, we’ll see later. Training behind closed doors for these gentlemen. Phil Jackson, the coach, concludes with a Zen session of relaxing yoga and sends the one everyone is waiting for at a press conference.
Like wild beasts, the journalists assail “His Majesty” and press him with questions. Very professional, the n°23 lends itself to the game as he outsmarts his opponents: “ We’re here to win, no question of becoming the first NBA team beaten. ” Mass has been said. Chicago is here to win the McDonald’s Open. Chicago will win the McDonald’s Open.
On the fields to buy cigars
Return to the Champs for a royal shopping spree. Only, in Panama, the traffic is dense. In addition, a demo obstructs the main axes. Half an hour later, U-turn. “MJ” promised his buddies in Illinois to bring them Cuban cigars banned for sale in the US. Wrapped up in a big leather jacket in the colors of McDo, Jordan finds his happiness in a shop near the Opera. Estimated purchase: between 16,000 and 18,000 francs (2,439 and 2,744 euros). For him, these are silly things. The seller and the seller did not understand anything. Mike leaves in a cloud of Cohibas to go change.
7:36 p.m., the long day of the five-time NBA champion continues in the premises of Canal +. Arrival in the limousine in the parking lot, make-up in the dressing rooms… Here he is in front of an audience of handpicked guests, facing Guillaume Durand, George Eddy and Bruno Gaccio who kneels. The author of the “Guignols de l’info” tries the impossible and has a balloon autographed. In exchange, Mike receives a typically Frenchy gift: a bottle of good pinard, a Château Cheval Blanc 1993, please.
In his star suit, “MJ” is unanimous. His charisma is impressive. And to think that we have not yet seen it on the Bercy floor (now the AccorHotels Arena)!
7:57 p.m., the limousine takes the direction of the Buddha Bar, a stone’s throw from the Place de la Concorde. In this high Parisian place, an official dinner is organized with all the participants of the McDo Championship. No question, for journalists, to come and have a drink, we do not joke with the interlude of the master. “MJ” continues the evening at the Barfly, while the NBA has reserved the Bus Palladium for a moment of relaxation. It’s 2am, the moon is shining, Mike closes his eyes (according to the official version).
The promotion provided by the other Bulls
The next day, he spends most of his day with his family, a family he later sends to Eurodisney, a complex created five years earlier. Promotional actions are carried out by its partners: Ron Harper signs autographs at Fnac, Toni Kukoc at Foot Locker, Luc Longley exhibits at Galeries Lafayette while Scott Burrell, Jason Caffey, Bill Wennington and Jud Buechler have fun at McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysées. Everyone is polite, everyone is pro.
The Bulls also have big hearts. They go to the hospital for sick children in Villejuif to bring comfort to their young bedridden fans. Michael promised his wife a candlelit dinner in a great Parisian restaurant. He keeps his promise at the Opera. Leave him alone: there’s a match tomorrow… His schedule is intriguing. A Rican journalist who does not deflate asks the question that kills: “ Mike, tell us what you did on Friday? “Reply of the bald divine:” Man, I got up, ate, rested, and played a basketball game. Period. His broad smile sums up the character’s mischievousness. Jordan tricks to the point of becoming invisible. While all the Bulls — and those ladies — were off window shopping, Mike remained wise. His wife Juanita did the shopping for him. She forgot to take a watch, which Michael will go buy himself around 4:30 p.m. in a jewelry store on Place Vendôme.
55 points in two matches, an MVP title, a standing ovation
A basketball match, quickly burned (28 pts for his apple against Paris, under the eyes of a kid named Joakim Noah), a shower and a press conference later, Jordan disappears again in the Parisian night. No doubt David Stern, the commissioner at the time, slipped to him that he attended the match with Lionel Jospin, the Prime Minister at the time (cohabiting with the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac, since one rolls for the left and the other for the right). Mike tumbles into the president’s favorite restaurant, at friend Louis’s. It’s time to go and digest all these dishes on avenue Foch, in the Le Duplex nightclub, where a VIP lounge has been reserved for the Bulls.
Saturday. After having dealt with current affairs (27 pts against Arturas Karnisovas’ Olympiakos, an MVP title and an endless standing ovation), “MJ” returns to the hotel. You have to pack your bags before going to relax. The cigar is in order. The mission is accomplished. A stopover at the Duplex, a whirlwind stint at the Bach, which Charles had recommended to him, and Mike leaves at dawn, with his Bulls. The NBA season is about to begin and in two days another game awaits. It will be in Philadelphia, then everything will follow until the resumption of the championship, which he wants to win for the sixth time before bowing out.
“ I really enjoyed my stay with you. We had a good time, especially since it was the first time that the team left the United States. It was probably my last international competition. Personally, it was great. I’ll be back ! Whenever you want, dear Michael.
1997 McDonald’s Open
Attendees : Chicago Bulls (USA), FC Barcelona (ESP), PSG Racing (FRA), Olympiacos (GRE), Benetton Treviso (ITA), Atenas (ARG).
Preliminary round
Atenas 87-78 Benetton Treviso
PSG Racing 97-84 FC Barcelona
Semi-finals
Olympiacos 89-86 Atenas
Chicago Bulls 89-82 PSG Racing
Game for 5th place
Benetton Treviso 106-103 FC Barcelona
Match for 3rd place
Atenas 88-78 PSG Racing
Final (October 18, 1997 at Bercy)
Chicago Bulls 104-78 Olympiacos
Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan 27, Randy Brown 12, Steve Kerr 10, Luc Longley 9, Bill Wennington 8, Toni Kukoč 5, Boris Gorenc 7, Jason Caffey 6, Ron Harper 6, Jud Buechler 6, Scott Burrell 4, Joe Kleine 2, Keith Booth 2, Dante Calabria, Rusty LaRue. Coach: Phil Jackson.
Olympiacos
Artūras Karnišovas 19, Franko Nakić 16, Dragan Tarlać 14, Michael Hawkins 12, Dimitris Karaplis 6, Johnny Rogers 4, Milan Tomić 3, Aleksey Savrasenko 2, Nikos Michalos 2, Dušan Vukčević, Efthimis Bakatsias, Anatoly Zourpenko, Nikos Pettas. Coach: Dusan Ivković.
Article published on October 17, 2017
