[Playback ’96] We Caught “The God of Basketball” M. Jordan’s “Secret Mission”! How Good Is He at Golf…?

“The God of Basketball” on an Incognito Outing…

What was *FRIDAY* reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago? Let’s take another look at the topics that were the talk of the town back then in [Playback Friday].This time, we’re featuring the September 27, 1996, issue —“He’s Amazing at Golf, Too: M. Jordan Shows Off His Incredible Skills During a ‘Secret Golf Outing.’”

On September 9, 1996, “The God of Basketball,” Michael Jordan (then 33), visited Japan for the first time. It was part of a PR tour for Nike, the manufacturer of “Air Jordan,” which enjoyed explosive popularity in Japan.The event, “NIKE HOOP HEROES,” was so popular that tickets—despite the high price of 50,000 yen for courtside seats—sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale. *FRIDAY* magazine caught wind of this superstar’s “incognito” outing—(text within 《》 is quoted from past articles; titles reflect those at the time).

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《That “God of Basketball” had actually gone on a little “business trip” on the morning of the 10th—the day after his arrival in Japan—leaving a Tokyo hotel where light rain was still falling, accompanied by nearly 10 security guards. He sped down the Joban Expressway and arrived here at the “Mito Korakuen Country Club.”

Any Jordan fan knows he’s an absolute golf enthusiast.

“After winning his first championship in a playoff, he even skipped an invitation to the White House from then-President Bush to go play golf instead. During the off-season, he organizes his schedule with golf as his top priority, and he’s a semi-pro-level player with a 2 handicap,” said a basketball insider.

The golf outing that day came about because Jordan had heard that the representative of a Japanese telecommunications company—one of his sponsors—had a “handicap of 2.” Since the company had been using a life-size cutout of Jordan for promotional purposes, the representative must have been quite surprised to find himself playing golf with the real “God.”In an article from that time, the representative described Jordan’s demeanor during the round as follows:

“We started playing the course at 10:30 a.m. with a mixed group of five players. Even though he was scheduled to play on this same course the next day for a TV shoot, he was incredibly engrossed in the game. For lunch, he just nibbled on a pork cutlet sandwich from the cart, and we played 15 holes over a grueling eight hours. By the time we finished, it was so dark we couldn’t even see the ball anymore.”

His scores that day—48, 30, and 40—were nothing short of divine, yet he remained remarkably relaxed, reportedly drinking beer and puffing on a cigar while making his way up to the greens in the middle of the round.

“His driver was flying 300 yards. What really surprised me was his putting. Once he’d read the line, he wouldn’t look at his hands—he’d just stare at the cup and putt. I guess he can do that because he has unique motor skills that ordinary people don’t possess.” (Representative)》

Jordan, who had previously lamented that his popularity was so overwhelming he “couldn’t step out of the hotel because the crowds would get out of control, ” seemed to have returned from being a “god” to a mere human and was enjoying himself that day.

The press conference was also filled with lively talk about golf

Jordan, who captivated the world with his spectacular plays that made him seem to dance through the air as if he were flying, led the Chicago Bulls to six championships in the 1990s and won five regular-season MVP awards and six Finals MVP awards. His regular-season scoring average of 30.12 points per game ranks first in NBA history.At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the “Dream Team,” which served as a catalyst for boosting the popularity of the NBA and basketball worldwide.

In October 1993, he announced his retirement following the death of his father. Although he suddenly declared a switch to baseball and even played for a Double-A affiliate of the MLB’s Chicago White Sox, he made a comeback with the Bulls in March 1995.

Although he had once been criticized for gambling on golf, it seems he truly loved the sport. At a press conference held in Tokyo on the 11th—the day after his “incognito golf outing”—his eyes reportedly lit up when asked at the end , “Will you play golf in Japan?” When the conversation turned to Tiger Woods, who had just turned pro at the time, he reportedly offered words of encouragement, saying, “We should focus on his talent; skin color doesn’t matter.” Incidentally, as mentioned earlier, he reportedly went golfing after the press conference that day as well.

At the “NIKE HOOP HEROES” event held at Yokohama Arena on the 12th and 13th—which, given that it was the off-season, took the form of a show—the 16,000 spectators went wild over Jordan’s dazzling techniques as he nailed dunk shots and double-clutch moves.Although Jordan is right-handed, he reportedly made most of his shots with his left hand. He explained , “This year, I’m aiming to improve my left-handed skills. I did that intentionally.”

“It was a great memory. I definitely want to come back to Japan again.”

With those words, Jordan bid farewell to Japan. It seems his first visit to Japan was a fulfilling experience for both him and his fans.