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Bob Costas recalls the blunder moment when reporting on Michael Jordan during the 1991 Finals celebration

Costas, a former NBC lead anchor, awkwardly slipped himself after mistaking Michael Jordan's wife.

Stephen Beslic

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Michael Jordan's reign and supremacy with the Chicago Bulls in the 90s couldn't be more highlighted and glorified by the media, and one of those notable sports journalists who managed to report his greatness has been Bob Costas.

With his impeccable sports coverage, Costas emerged as one of those media figures who helped Jordan attain good regard in front of the camera while holding a basketball. As a program host and play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports, he was instrumental in leading the NBA on NBC toward covering the Bulls dynasty on the national stage.

But amid his talent and strong journalistic prowess, there was a time when Costas landed himself at the center of scrutiny. He did so by committing a controversial mistake in front of Michael himself, who was savoring his first glorious basketball moment.

An awkward moment

As Jordan and the Bulls finally captured their first championship at the expense of the L.A. Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals, the superstar went on to calmly celebrate the feat along with his family amid being mobbed around by the media in the locker room.

With the Larry O'Brien trophy in his possession, Jordan was deeply contemplating the achievement he made after years of hardship. Eventually, Costas entered the scenes with that clear intent to cover MJ for NBC’s post-game coverage of the title celebration.

But as he initiated the report, Bob mistakenly referred to Juanita Vanoy as Michael's mother, noting that the superstar is "surrounded by his mom and his dad.” On his part, MJ quickly corrected Costas by saying Vanoy was his wife.

The awkwardness and regret felt by Costas from that moment have been indelibly etched in his memories, and he stated that he would love to return from that point and redeem himself from his error.

“There's a few things you want to mulligan out of thousands and thousands of things; you want a do-over. I would like to do that one over," Costas said in The Ringers’ 'Slow News Day' show.

No hard feelings

Costas openly admitted that he hardly acknowledged Vanoy, now Michael's ex-wife, because he was covered by champagne at the Bulls’ title party. Nevertheless, it was all cool and Bob could only take a sigh of relief that there were no hard feelings formed at the end of Juanita.

"I was sitting in the audience at 30 Rock for the live show, and Juanita was only a few seats away," Costas remembered. "I went over and said hello, and she could not have been more gracious about the whole thing.”

Amid the blunder he committed, Costas maintained his poise and proceeded to gracefully cover MJ and the Bulls with all his heart until their final run in 1998. Until now, he remains a prominent voice that many have known in presenting Jordan and his legendary career.

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Stephen Beslic
STEPHEN BESLIC

Stephen Beslic is a writer on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Stephen played basketball from the age of 10 and graduated from Faculty of Economic and Business in Zagreb, Croatia, majoring in Marketing.

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