NBC Sports Chicago on Wednesday will air a new original documentary on what it calls ‘the most famous fax in sports history, the one sent by Michael Jordan to announce he was returning to the NBA after his first retirement and brief baseball career.
The documentary is called I’m Back, which was the dramatic two-word message Jordan sent to tell the NBA he was coming back to the Chicago Bulls. Jordan and the Bulls won three more championships after his return to the game.
Because of unique circumstances surrounding the cancellation of live sports events in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, NBC Sports Chicago moved up the date it planned to air the documentary to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the fax.
The cancellation of sports events has left TV scrambling and no segment has been harder hit than the regional sports networks. Earlier on Tuesday, NBC Sports Chicago announced that it will be airing classic games from championship seasons of the Bulls and Blackhawks.
I’m Back will appear at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be followed by Game one of the first round of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, which pitted the Bulls against the Miami Heat.
Jordan, usually regarded as the greatest basketball player ever, remains an object of fascination and will also be featured in an upcoming documentary to appear on ESPN called The Last Dance, which focuses on Jordan’s final championship with the Bulls.
I’m Back is an NBC Sports Chicago Original Production and features numerous interviews including David Falk, Jordan agent; former teammates Toni Kukoc, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr and Rod Higgins and current of former NBA stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Mullin and Dominique Wilkins.
The documentary was produced and edited by NBC Sports Chicago’s Emmy award-winning team of executive producer of original content Sarah Lauch, senior producer of original content Ryan McGuffey and managing photographer Matt Buckman.
