Michael Jordan did not attend the national championship between Gonzaga and his alma mater, North Carolina. That’s odd, because he’s has attended UNC games in the past (like the one in the above photo) and last year’s national title game between UNC and Villanova, famously won by Villanova at the buzzer.
And you won’t believe this, but Michael Jordan at a big game led to Crying Jordan memes. I know. I was surprised too.
So why wasn’t Jordan at this year’s title game? Coach Roy Williams offered an explanation on The Dan Patrick Show.
It’s not exactly a linear story that’s easily quotable, so here’s the gist: Williams felt like Jordan wouldn’t show up because when he came last year, UNC lost. Jordan is a superstitious person, so Williams believed there was a pretty good chance he would stay away from the Gonzaga game. So afterward, when Williams looked at his phone, there was a text from Jordan confirming the suspicion.
That’s silly. Jordan could have got into the building and watched it quietly from a suite where players wouldn’t see him. Of course, if the real reason he didn’t attend was to avoid being a two-hour meme, that’s a fair reason. Although, if he cried tears of joy, maybe that would have killed the meme. Perhaps the only way to break the meme is to create a new one. A meme is basically a curse, is what I’m saying.
