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| Dates | June 3–14 | |||||||||
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| MVP | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Bulls: Michael Jordan (2009) Toni Kukoc (2021) Scottie Pippen (2010) Dennis Rodman (2011) Jazz: Karl Malone (2010) John Stockton (2009) Coaches: Phil Jackson (2007) Jerry Sloan (2009) Tex Winter (2011) Officials: Dick Bavetta (2015) Danny Crawford (2025) Hugh Evans (2022) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Bulls defeatedPacers, 4–3 | |||||||||
| Western finals | Jazz defeatedLakers, 4–0 | |||||||||
The1998 NBA Finals was thechampionship series of theNational Basketball Association's (NBA)1997–98 season, and the conclusion of theseason's playoffs. The two-timedefending NBA champion andEastern Conference championChicago Bulls played against theWestern Conference championUtah Jazz, with the Jazz holding home-court advantage for the first 2 games inSalt Lake City. In a repeat of theprevious year's Finals, the Bulls won the series 4 games to 2 for their third consecutive NBA title and their sixth in eight seasons.
Michael Jordan was voted theNBA Finals MVP of the series (he also had won the award the last five times the Bulls won the Finals: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, and 1997). This would be his sixth NBA championship and sixth Finals MVP award in six full basketball seasons. This would be his final season of winning the NBA championship and Finals MVP. Until 2021 this would be the last finals not to feature a team from California, Florida, or Texas.
The 1998 Finals garnered the highestNielsen TV ratings in NBA history at 18.7, and even surpassed the Nielsen ratings for the1998 World Series, marking the first time the NBA had a higher rating in its championship round than ofMajor League Baseball'schampionship round.
The Bulls headed into the series as the underdogs. Bulls' small forward Scottie Pippen stated, "It's a different feeling. We’ve never been in this situation where we’ve sort of been written off. It’s a great feeling being the underdog because you want to go out now and prove everybody wrong."[1]
Entering the1997-1998, this was widely expected to be the last season of the Chicago Bulls core ofMichael Jordan,Scottie Pippen,Dennis Rodman, andPhil Jackson. In training camp, Phil Jackson wrote on the chalk board and named the season "The Last Dance".[2]
The series marked the first time since 1989 that the same two teams met in the Finals in consecutive years. The Jazz earned the league's best record by virtue of sweeping the two-game regular season series with the Bulls despite both teams finishing at 62 wins. In the playoffs, the Jazz were pushed to the brink by theHouston Rockets before winning Game 5 in Utah, and then overcameRookie of the YearTim Duncan and theSan Antonio Spurs 4–1. They then swept theLos Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The Bulls swept theNew Jersey Nets and then took out theCharlotte Hornets in five, but it took seven games to overcome theIndiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.Micheal Jordan led his team to 36 points with a win in the last finals
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| Defeated the (8)Houston Rockets, 3–2 | First round | Defeated the (8)New Jersey Nets, 3–0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defeated the (5)San Antonio Spurs, 4–1 | Conference semifinals | Defeated the (4)Charlotte Hornets, 4–1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Defeated the (3)Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0 | Conference finals | Defeated the (3)Indiana Pacers, 4–3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TheUtah Jazz won both games in the regular season series:
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| Head coach Assistant(s) Legend
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| Game | Date | Road team | Result | Home team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | June 3 | Chicago Bulls | 85–88 (OT) (0–1) | Utah Jazz |
| Game 2 | June 5 | Chicago Bulls | 93–88 (1–1) | Utah Jazz |
| Game 3 | June 7 | Utah Jazz | 54–96 (1–2) | Chicago Bulls |
| Game 4 | June 10 | Utah Jazz | 82–86 (1–3) | Chicago Bulls |
| Game 5 | June 12 | Utah Jazz | 83–81 (2–3) | Chicago Bulls |
| Game 6 | June 14 | Chicago Bulls | 87–86 (4–2) | Utah Jazz |
Bulls win the series 4–2.
June 3 |
| Chicago Bulls 85,Utah Jazz 88 (OT) | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 17–17, 23–28, 19–22,20–12, Overtime: 6–9 | ||
| Pts:Michael Jordan 33 Rebs:Pippen,Longley 8 Asts:Steve Kerr 5 | Pts:John Stockton 24 Rebs:Karl Malone 14 Asts:John Stockton 8 | |
| Utah leads the series, 1–0 | ||
Delta Center,Salt Lake City, Utah Attendance: 19,911 Referees:
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June 5 |
| Chicago Bulls 93,Utah Jazz 88 | ||
| Scoring by quarter:23–20,27–26, 20–27,23–15 | ||
| Pts:Michael Jordan 37 Rebs:Kukoč,Rodman 9 Asts:Scottie Pippen 4 | Pts:Jeff Hornacek 20 Rebs:Karl Malone 12 Asts:John Stockton 7 | |
| Series tied, 1–1 | ||
June 7 |
| Utah Jazz 54,Chicago Bulls 96 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 14–17, 17–32, 14–23, 9–24 | ||
| Pts:Karl Malone 22 Rebs:Greg Ostertag 9 Asts:John Stockton 7 | Pts:Michael Jordan 24 Rebs:Ron Harper 10 Asts:Ron Harper 7 | |
| Chicago leads series, 2–1 | ||
June 10 |
| Utah Jazz 82,Chicago Bulls 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 19–21, 18–18, 20–22, 25–25 | ||
| Pts:Karl Malone 21 Rebs:Karl Malone 14 Asts:John Stockton 13 | Pts:Michael Jordan 34 Rebs:Dennis Rodman 14 Asts:Scottie Pippen 5 | |
| Chicago leads series, 3–1 | ||
Crowd: 24,000 at United Center (sellout)
June 12 |
| Utah Jazz 83,Chicago Bulls 81 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 16–18, 14–18,29–19, 24–26 | ||
| Pts:Karl Malone 39 Rebs:Karl Malone 9 Asts:John Stockton 12 | Pts:Toni Kukoč 30 Rebs:Scottie Pippen 11 Asts:Scottie Pippen 11 | |
| Chicago leads series, 3–2 | ||
To date, this is the most recent NBA Finals game played in Chicago.
June 14 |
| Chicago Bulls 87,Utah Jazz 86 | ||
| Scoring by quarter: 22–25, 23–24, 16–17,26–20 | ||
| Pts:Michael Jordan 45 Rebs:Dennis Rodman 8 Asts:Kukoč,Pippen 4 | Pts:Karl Malone 31 Rebs:Karl Malone 11 Asts:Karl Malone 7 | |
| Chicago wins NBA Finals, 4–2 | ||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Full game broadcast by NBC onYouTube |
To date, this is the most recent NBA Finals game played in Salt Lake City.
Unlike the 1997 Finals, the Jazz and Bulls entered this series as equals. The Jazz had won both regular season meetings with the Bulls, and many analysts predicted a hard-fought seven-game series. The two teams entered the Finals on completely different notes; the Jazz uneventfully swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals and had a total of ten days' rest before the Finals began. The Bulls, meanwhile, endured a hard-fought series against a resurgent Indiana Pacers team helmed by Larry Bird (in his first year as head coach). They would need all seven games to get past the Pacers and would have only two days' rest before having to travel to Utah. Predictions of a Jazz championship were strengthened with their 88–85 Game 1 victory in overtime in Utah, with Scottie Pippen just missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer. True to form, the Bulls tied the series in Game 2 while putting together a huge fourth-quarter run to silence the Delta Center and holding on to win 93–88, finally securing their first victory against Utah all season. Karl Malone shot very poorly in the first two games of the series with some misses including one layup in Game 2 that hit the underside of the rim.
The Finals moved to Chicago with control of the series at stake in Game 3. In a 96–54 loss, the Jazz set the record for the 42 point loss in Finals history and were hammered by the media for the score, as well as the lowest number of points scored in any NBA game (since eclipsed by a score of 49 from the Bulls on April 10, 1999) since the inception of theshot clock. Every player on the Bulls roster scored at least once, with the Bulls' last-remaining scoreless player, backup centerBill Wennington, nailing his bucket with only 5.2 seconds remaining in the game.[3]
Chicago won Game 4 in a close game, 86–82, and Utah took Game 5 83–81 despite nearly blowing a seven-point lead in the last two minutes. Karl Malone had his best game of the series with 39 points, while Antoine Carr made all five of his field goal attempts. The series returned to Utah with the Bulls leading 3–2.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Full game broadcast by NBC onYouTube |
As they arrived at the Delta Center for Game 6, things didn't look good for the Bulls. Scottie Pippen, whose back was already injured going into the game, aggravated his injury when he dunked the opening basket of the game. He scored only 8 points the whole game. To keep pace with Utah, the Bulls were forced to rely almost entirely on Michael Jordan, who scored 23 points in the first half. Emotions ran high at the Delta Center when the Jazz suffered a critical shot clock violation in the second quarter. RefereeDick Bavetta ruled that Howard Eisley did not get a successful 3-point shot off in time, although TV replays showed that the ball was out of Eisley's hands just before the shot clock hit zero. Later in the fourth quarter, Jordan's two free throws tied the game with only a minute left. The Jazz received some relief as John Stockton hit a 3 with 41.9 seconds left to give Utah an 86–83 lead and sent the Delta Center into a frenzy.
After Jordan made a layup to make it 86–85, the Bulls needed to stop the Jazz from scoring again. When John Stockton passed the ball to Karl Malone, Jordan stole the ball away and dribbled down the court. Guarding him wasBryon Russell, one of the Jazz's best defenders. With 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left.[4][5][6] Jordan hit the 20-footer after crossing over Russell while apparently initiating contact, but replays would show that he did not, to give the Bulls an 87–86 lead with 5.2 seconds left. The greatest 3-point shooter in history and expert basketball player, Steph Curry would later publicly say the "He definitely pushed off"{https://slamonline.com/nba/stephen-curry-michael-jordan-pushed-off-bryon-russell/}. After a time-out, Stockton missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer, giving the Bulls their sixth NBA title in 8 years. Jordan, who scored 45 points, and whose game-winning shot has been immortalized around the world, was named Finals MVP for the sixth time.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Brown | 2 | 0 | 3.5 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| Jud Buechler | 6 | 0 | 5.2 | .600 | .667 | .000 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 |
| Scott Burrell | 6 | 0 | 14.0 | .409 | .250 | .667 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| Ron Harper | 6 | 6 | 28.7 | .364 | .167 | .583 | 4.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 5.3 |
| Michael Jordan | 6 | 6 | 41.7 | .427 | .308 | .814 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 33.5 |
| Steve Kerr | 6 | 0 | 20.7 | .350 | .385 | 1.000 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| Toni Kukoč | 6 | 6 | 37.0 | .500 | .304 | .615 | 4.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 15.2 |
| Luc Longley | 6 | 6 | 21.7 | .444 | .000 | .750 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 5.0 |
| Scottie Pippen | 6 | 6 | 39.5 | .410 | .231 | .833 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 15.7 |
| Dennis Rodman | 6 | 0 | 30.5 | .462 | .000 | .667 | 8.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| Bill Wennington | 3 | 0 | 4.3 | .400 | .000 | .000 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shandon Anderson | 6 | 0 | 21.0 | .500 | .333 | .818 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 7.3 |
| Antoine Carr | 6 | 0 | 14.3 | .500 | .000 | .750 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.2 |
| Howard Eisley | 6 | 0 | 17.5 | .375 | .143 | 1.000 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.7 |
| Greg Foster | 6 | 2 | 10.5 | .267 | .000 | .000 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
| Jeff Hornacek | 6 | 6 | 34.2 | .411 | .333 | .833 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 10.7 |
| Adam Keefe | 5 | 3 | 12.0 | .429 | .000 | .500 | 3.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| Karl Malone | 6 | 6 | 40.5 | .504 | .000 | .789 | 10.5 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 25.0 |
| Chris Morris | 6 | 0 | 17.5 | .393 | .000 | .667 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 4.3 |
| Greg Ostertag | 5 | 1 | 11.0 | .417 | .000 | 1.000 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 2.2 |
| Bryon Russell | 6 | 6 | 36.0 | .409 | .286 | .688 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 8.8 |
| John Stockton | 6 | 6 | 32.3 | .490 | .222 | .727 | 2.5 | 8.7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 9.7 |
| Jacque Vaughn | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The Finals were televised in the United States byNBC (including for the second straight yearWMAQ-TV in Chicago andKSL-TV in Salt Lake City), withBob Costas on play-by-play andDoug Collins andIsiah Thomas serving as color analysts.Hannah Storm hosted the pre-game show, assisted byBill Walton,John Salley andPeter Vescey, andAhmad Rashad andJim Gray reported from the sidelines. This was the first time since NBC took over the broadcasting rights to theNBA Finals in 1991 thatMarv Albert was not the play by play commentator. He was fired from NBC on September 25, 1997, for sexually assaulting a woman.
World Championship Wrestling would capitalize on the animosity following the Finals betweenRodman andMalone, as on July 12, 1998, Rodman andHollywood Hogan would defeat Malone andDiamond Dallas Page in a tag team match atBash at the Beach.[7]
As ofthe 2024–25 season[update], this series remains the last Finals appearances for both the Bulls and Jazz. After the season, the Bulls dynasty broke up. Without its key personnel, the Bulls missed the playoffs in thelockout-shortened1999 season, winning just 13 of 50 games. The Bulls would not make the postseason again until2005. Both teams have made just one Conference Finals appearance since this Finals, with the Jazz qualifying in 2007, losing to theSan Antonio Spurs, and the Bulls qualifying in 2011 under MVPDerrick Rose, losing to theMiami Heat.
Phil Jackson declined an offer from the team president to coach another season.[8] He would come back as head coach of theLos Angeles Lakers in1999, winning five NBA titles in two separate stints with the team before retiring in 2011. This would give Jackson 11 NBA Titles, the most for a coach in the history of the four major American sports leagues.Ron Harper followed Jackson to the Lakers and won championships during his final two seasons in2000 and2001 (other Bulls dynasty alum were on those teams, such asJohn Salley andHorace Grant).
On January 13, 1999,Michael Jordan announced his retirement for the second time;[9] he would come out of retirement for the second and final time in2001 with theWashington Wizards and played two seasons with the team. However, neither season ended with a playoff appearance.[10][11]Scottie Pippen was traded to theHouston Rockets during the offseason and played his last season (2003–04) with the Bulls and also played for thePortland Trail Blazers.Dennis Rodman, released by the Bulls in the offseason, signed with the Lakers mid-season, playing only 23 games before being released. In January 1999, the Bulls re-signedSteve Kerr and traded him to theSan Antonio Spurs,[12] where he would win two more championships in1999 and2003, his last year in the NBA.[13] After turning down Phil Jackson's offer to coach theNew York Knicks (Jackson was the president of basketball operations of the team),[14][15] Kerr would go on to win four championships as head coach of theGolden State Warriors in2015,2017,2018, and2022.[16] Both Pippen and Kerr played opposite of former coach Phil Jackson's Lakers in multiple playoff series in the early 2000s.[17][18][19]
John Stockton andKarl Malone led the Jazz to playoff appearances each season through2003, however each season featured a loss in the first or second round. During the 2003 off-season, Stockton retired and Malone joined theLos Angeles Lakers. Malone returned to the NBA Finals in2004 where he would lose to theDetroit Pistons in 5 games.Jerry Sloan would coach the Jazz until his retirement in 2011.
The Jazz were the last nonCalifornia orTexas Western Conference NBA Finals team until the2012 Oklahoma City Thunder, a span of 13 years.
Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals ‘The Last Dance’ game worn jersey sold for $10,091,000 in 2022, a record for an NBA jersey.[20]
In 2020,The Last Dance was documentary miniseries co-produced byESPN Films andNetflix; a series that revolved around Michael Jordan's career, with particular focus on the 1997–98 season, his final season with the Chicago Bulls. The series was met with critical acclaim, with praise for its directing and editing, and also for the timing of the release - during the initial weeks ofquarantine during theCOVID-19 pandemic when viewers were struggling to find entertainment.[21][22] It also educated younger generations who were too young or not alive for the Bulls dynasty.The Last Dance won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
Additionally, a cinematic presentation ofGame 6 was released by ESPN after the final episode.[23][24]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), sportingnews.com, March 14, 2005. Retrieved April 29, 2007.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| 1940s |  | |
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