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Posted: Mar 27, 2020 7:05 AMUpdated: Mar 27, 2020 8:05 AM

Today in Oklahoma Sports History - 3/27

 

Today in Oklahoma Sports History… March 27, 1998 the NBA single-game attendance record was set.

It was a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. 62,046 people packed in to see Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Chicago won in a low-scoring affair, 89-74.

The Bulls would go on to win the NBA Championship and finish at 62-20 in the regular season. Chicago topped the Utah Jazz 4-2 in a best of seven series.

The Hawks-Bulls game would be played at the Georgia Dome because Atlanta was in-between arenas. The Hawks would play higher-capacity games during the 1998 season at the Georgia Dome, which was an NFL-stadium - home to the Atlanta Falcons from 1992-2017.

Atlanta sold extra seats with view restrictions to see Michael Jordan so they could help raise money for victims of tornado damage in north Georgia, which had occurred earlier in March. It helped raise $40,000.

There were two players with Oklahoma ties that played in the record-setting game.

Mookie Blaylock started for the Hawks. Blaylock is a former OU star who played two seasons in Norman from 1987-1989. His No. 10 is honored at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Blaylock played in the NBA for 13-years with the Nets, Hawks and would finish out his career with Golden State in 2002.  On this day 22 years ago, Blaylock would score 11-points and go 1-8 from three-point range against the Bulls.

Playing for the Bulls, a sometime forgotten superstar with Oklahoma ties was The Worm, Dennis Rodman. Rodman played three seasons at Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant from 1983-1986. He led the NAIA rebounding in two seasons, and averaged 25.7 points and 15.7 rebounds during his career.

Rodman would win five NBA championships with the Bulls from 1989-1998. He scored five points in the contest against the Hawks on 2-3 shooting.

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