Vintage Gear: Ticket To Michael Jordan’s 69-Point Game

The Cleveland Cavaliers of the late ’80s and early ’90s will probably be remembered most as Michael Jordan’s punching bag – “The Shot” in 1989, “The Shot” in 1993, and general dominance of the Chicago Bulls that never let those talented Cavs teams get to the NBA Finals.

Is anyone surprised that his career scoring high came against the Cavs?

On March 28, 1990, Michael Jordan scored a career-high 69 points at Richfield Coliseum, shooting 23 for 37 from the floor, 21 of 23 from the free throw line, to go with 18 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and one block in 50 of a possible 53 minutes. Bulls won in OT, 117-113.

It’d be nice to say that the game was the Cavs’ last huge embarrassment by MJ. But they still had three more years to go before MJ mercifully stepped away from the game. By that time, the Cavs’ title window had closed and wouldn’t be reopened until one LeBron James arrived.

The arena site is now a meadow and long forgotten, but you can remember the moment with this and other collectibles now via eBay.

Highlights below, too.