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I’m forgotten victim of Michael Jordan’s iconic Shot to eliminate Cavs and now I’m part of $67bn empire
Michael Jordan’s career is littered with clutch shots. The Chicago Bulls icon spearheaded a legendary dynasty that pulled off two three-peats. GettyJordan takes flight as Ehlo takes out his frustration in the background[/caption] But over the course of a storied career, only one of those baskets has earned the immortal title of The Shot. In 1989, the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers played out one of the all-time great five-game playoff series. The Cavs pulled off an impressive overtime road win to take it to 2-2 and force a decider on home court despite MJ dropping 50 points. In a thrilling final minute of Game 5, there had already been five lead changes when the Bulls got the ball with three seconds remaining down 100-99. Everybody in the arena knew who the ball was going to. Craig Ehlo, who had just scored a go-ahead basket, was part of a double team looking to prevent the inevitable alongside Larry Nance. His Airness pushed off Nance, took the inbound from Brad Sellers and unleashed a dagger from the foul line as the buzzer sounded. His shot went over a despairing reach from Ehlo who crumpled to the hardwood as MJ fist-pumped mid-court before being swarmed by his teammates. The Bulls also beat Patrick Ewing‘s New York Knicks but lost to their long-time rival Detroit Pistons, who ended up sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. What about Ehlo? The forgotten victim of one of the most-watched plays in sports history. GettyEhlo couldn’t stop the all-time great in full flow[/caption] GettyMJ was almost impossible to guard at his best[/caption] He left the Cavs in 1993 and spent three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and one with the Seattle Supersonics before retiring in 1997. The 6ft-6in guard out of Washington State was an analyst on Gonzaga men’s basketball games for five seasons. He later became an assistant coach for Eastern Washington University in 2011 and left two years later. In 2019 he returned to his alma mater as a color analyst on Cougars home games. The third-round pick for the Houston Rockets in 1983 was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. At the time, he was living in Washington with his family. The 63-year-old has also linked up with Nike to coach at basketball camps across the country. His relationship with the $76billion sportswear giant has seen Ehlo cross paths with cavaliers great LeBron James , who holds one of the camps in Akron, Ohio. Ehlo spoke about the iconic play 30 years later, where he was asked if he thought the shot was going to drop. “Not really. I mean, when I was watching it, ‘cause I had to turn and look, I mean it looked flat,” he said. “He didn’t have to rush but I just didn’t think it was gonna go in ‘cause it did hit some of the rim. So that’s what I was thinking. “But boy when it did, then my signature moment with Gatorade and Nike and all of those is me going to the floor and Michael jumping up and down fist-pumping after he watched it go in.”
Michael Jordan’s career is littered with clutch shots.
The Chicago Bulls icon spearheaded a legendary dynasty that pulled off two three-peats.
But over the course of a storied career, only one of those baskets has earned the immortal title of The Shot.
In 1989, the Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers played out one of the all-time great five-game playoff series.
The Cavs pulled off an impressive overtime road win to take it to 2-2 and force a decider on home court despite MJ dropping 50 points.
In a thrilling final minute of Game 5, there had already been five lead changes when the Bulls got the ball with three seconds remaining down 100-99.
Everybody in the arena knew who the ball was going to.
Craig Ehlo, who had just scored a go-ahead basket, was part of a double team looking to prevent the inevitable alongside Larry Nance.
His Airness pushed off Nance, took the inbound from Brad Sellers and unleashed a dagger from the foul line as the buzzer sounded.
His shot went over a despairing reach from Ehlo who crumpled to the hardwood as MJ fist-pumped mid-court before being swarmed by his teammates.
The Bulls also beat Patrick Ewing‘s New York Knicks but lost to their long-time rival Detroit Pistons, who ended up sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
What about Ehlo? The forgotten victim of one of the most-watched plays in sports history.
He left the Cavs in 1993 and spent three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and one with the Seattle Supersonics before retiring in 1997.
The 6ft-6in guard out of Washington State was an analyst on Gonzaga men’s basketball games for five seasons.
He later became an assistant coach for Eastern Washington University in 2011 and left two years later.
In 2019 he returned to his alma mater as a color analyst on Cougars home games.
The third-round pick for the Houston Rockets in 1983 was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
At the time, he was living in Washington with his family.
The 63-year-old has also linked up with Nike to coach at basketball camps across the country.
His relationship with the $76billion sportswear giant has seen Ehlo cross paths with cavaliers great LeBron James , who holds one of the camps in Akron, Ohio.
Ehlo spoke about the iconic play 30 years later, where he was asked if he thought the shot was going to drop.
“Not really. I mean, when I was watching it, ‘cause I had to turn and look, I mean it looked flat,” he said.
“He didn’t have to rush but I just didn’t think it was gonna go in ‘cause it did hit some of the rim. So that’s what I was thinking.
“But boy when it did, then my signature moment with Gatorade and Nike and all of those is me going to the floor and Michael jumping up and down fist-pumping after he watched it go in.”
