In 1994, New York Knicks guard John Starks got to see how Michael Jordan prepared himself for a comeback to basketball.
Jordan may have been playing minor league baseball, but he wasn’t ready to give up basketball entirely.
The signs he was going to return came on Sept. 9 when he played in the Scottie Pippen Charity Game. It was the last event held at the old Chicago Stadium before the opening of the United Center one year later.
Jordan originally didn’t want to play, but changed his mind after talking with Pippen.
Jordan played alongside Starks, Charles Oakley, Vernon Maxell, Mitch Redmond, Jason Kidd, and Gary Payton. Pippen teamed with Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, B.J. Armstrong, Antonio Davis, Nick Anderson, Eric Murdock and Isaiah Rider.
The perception was Jordan would be off his game but he scored 52 points before a sold out crowd.
Jordan received a standing ovation after leading his team to a 187-150 victory. He then kneeled down to kiss center court, saying goodbye to Chicago Stadium.
The game raised over $150,000 for Chicago area charities.
Starks later explained to Sports Bio Center how Jordan told Pippen to never expect anything less from him again.
“I’m on Michael’s team, which I was thankful for that, I’m playing on his team,” he said. “And Scottie called himself stacking the team against him. He said before he went out ‘Just give me the ball and move out the way.’ So I was on the court, and everybody gave him the ball, him and Scottie was one-on-one for the majority of the whole game, and he lit Scottie up for like 55, 60 points. He’s been playing baseball, he stepped out on the court, and he told Scottie ‘Don’t you ever, blank blank, stack the team against me again.”