In 1990-91, the Bulls went 61-21 under coach Phil Jackson and swept the Detroit Pistons 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals on the way to the title; Michael Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists a game and won the NBA Most Valuable Player award. The Chicago Bulls beat the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA title in 1991, four games to one. Michael Jordan averaged 31.2 points and 11.4 assists a game in the 1991 Finals, and he was the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) when the Bulls beat the Lakers.

The 1991-92 Bulls went 67-15; in the Eastern Conference Semifinals they needed seven games to beat the New York Knicks; Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists a game and won the MVP award. In the 1992 Finals against Portland, he averaged 35.8 points a game and was named Finals MVP. The Bulls beat the Portland Trail Blazers to win the NBA title in 1992.

The 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team was the first Dream Team, made up of NBA players. In 1992, Michael Jordan started every game for the U.S. at the Olympics and averaged 14.9 points; Charles Barkley led the team at 18; Jordan won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team.

The 1992-93 Bulls went 57-25 and beat the New York Knicks four games to two in the Eastern Conference Finals; Michael Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 1992-93 at 32.6 points a game, and he averaged 41.0 points a game in the 1993 Finals against Phoenix. The Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns to win the NBA title in 1993. Michael Jordan first retired in 1993 after the Bulls won their third championship, and he played professional baseball.

Michael Jordan was the Finals MVP in each of the six Finals the Bulls won. His six NBA titles came in two groups of three in a row: 1991 to 1993, then 1996 to 1998. Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls in March 1995 and played the last 17 games of the 1994-95 regular season.

Words to know

• swept: won every game
• Finals: title series
• Semifinals: round before finals
• retired: stopped playing