New Utah Jazz analyst may have solved ‘Flu Game’ mystery

A Utah Jazz voice thinks she may have shared Michael Jordan’s infamous bug.

Do you remember where you were on June 11, 1997, when Michael Jordan dropped 38 points on the Utah Jazz across his 44 minutes on the court — despite an illness — to help the Chicago Bulls seize a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals?

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Well, while appearing on Utah’s Roundball Roundup podcast this week, the newest member of the Jazz broadcast team, Holly Rowe, noted her whereabouts. And she explained their possible relevance leading up to the “Flu Game” (the Jazz, in what was the first of two straight Finals bouts with the Bulls, went on to lose the series in six games, the same result as the following year).

Michael Jordan’s Utah Jazz-related conspiracy theory

Now, it’s safe to say Rowe’s story (below) doesn’t jive with Michael Jordan’s persistent claim over the years.

No, the six-time NBA champ has stuck to a tale of five suspicious guys from a Salt Lake City establishment delivering him — and for some reason only him — a poisoned pizza to his hotel room the night before that historic Game 5 battle.

Utah Jazz analyst exonerating the alleged pizza delivery

Rowe said she has long suspected that Jordan’s illness instead originated two days earlier following the Jazz’s 78-73 home win in Game 4.

At the time, Rowe worked for NBC Sports. In her words, this is what she remembers happening after Game 4:

“Michael Jordan grabbed some food off the TV craft services leaving the building. And so did I. I know the documentary. I know Michael Jordan has this theory about this mystery pizza that was delivered. I’m pretty sure he actually got food poisoning from the craft services table in the Delta Center at that time because I did too.”

Regardless, Michael Jordan isn’t likely to abandon his more entertaining conspiracy theory anytime soon.