Chicago Bulls: John Paxson, the spot hero Michael Jordan needed
By Todd Dudas
John Paxson was the spot hero that Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls needed during the 1990s.
The 1990’s Chicago Bulls are often considered the greatest dynasty in modern-day sports. Certainly in the NBA. Led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Bulls won six championships in eight years.
A big part of the team’s success was Jordan’s trust in his teammates. Over time, many of his teammates had their chance to shine. And Jordan wouldn’t have been able to be as successful without them. In one specific instance, it was John Paxson who rose to the occasion to save the Bulls on multiple occasions.
In the 1993 NBA Finals, specifically, Paxson hit a last-second shot in Game 6 to clinch the championship over Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns.
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The Suns entered the 1993 NBA Finals red-hot and Barkley was fresh off winning the NBA MVP that season. The series featured two of the league’s biggest stars and it ended up being one of the best Finals matches in history.
However, Chicago’s team game – which was integrated when Phil Jackson was hired as the team’s head coach – that would prevail.
Paxson, the hero of the 1993 NBA Finals Game 6, has been with the Bulls organization for 35 years total. He played with the Bulls from 1983-94 and then was an assistant coach for the team during the 1995-96 season. He also spent seven years as a broadcaster for the Bulls. Finally, he was hired as an executive with the franchise in 2003.
However, he’s now on the verge of a new role with the Bulls. Chicago recently made the pivot away from the status quo and is handing over the reins of the franchise to Arturas Karnisovas as the team’s new vice president and Marc Eversley as the new general manager.
On June 20, 1993, though, Paxson was the Bulls’ savior. In front of a capacity crowd in Phoenix, it was Jordan and the Bulls that needed Paxson to step up in a big way. With 14 seconds remaining, with the Bulls down 98-96, that’s exactly what happened.
Jordan gets in the inbounds pass and then dribbles up the floor to quickly get the ball over to Pippen. With roughly three seconds left, Paxson is open for a 3. It’s good. The Bulls are up one and is now seconds away from another NBA Championship.
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The Bulls would go on to win the game and clinch their third NBA Championship in a row. For that night, John Paxson was the hero.