Don Calhoun, the man who made the iconic million dollar shot in a basketball game, revealed that NBA legend, Michael Jordan, helped him get his money.
On April 14, 1994 during a timeout in the third quarter of a Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat game an office supply salesman wowed everyone by making a three quarter court shot with $1 million on the line.
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Hurling the ball from the free throw line on the other side of the court, Don Calhoun threw it 80 feet and watched it hit the basket perfectly.
19 people had tried and failed to take the shot before Calhoun nailed it, and he soon became famous for his incredible exploit.
However, while people cheered on the amazing basketball moment, Don discovered that actually getting his money was harder than expected.
The insurance company didn't want to pay out, arguing that because Calhoun had played college basketball he broke the competition's rules.
Eventually, the event's sponsors promised to pay him the money if the insurance company wouldn't and for the next 20 years he received an annual payment of $50,000, though after taxes it was $38,000.
When he made the million dollar shot, Calhoun had been sharing a court with the legendary Michael Jordan, who'd told him 'great shot kid' in that magical moment.
A few weeks later, he met Jordan again, telling ABC7 he wanted to get the basketball legend's signature on the ball he'd made the shot with.
Calhoun heard from a friend that Jordan always went to see one of his kids play basketball at their school, so the million dollar shot man showed up with his ball in the hopes of getting Jordan's signature on it.
Jordan's security told Calhoun that the basketball star didn't sign anything while at his kid's game, though when things were coming to an end, a security guard told him he could walk with Jordan to his car.
According to Calhoun, the first thing Jordan asked him when they were walking together was: "Did you get your money?"
What the basketball star said after hearing that Calhoun did get the money absolutely stunned the man, as he revealed that Jordan then told him: "We made them give it to you. We were upset that they were trying not to pay you."
In the end, Calhoun also got Jordan's signature on his iconic ball after being told that, while he wouldn't sign anything at his kid's game, if the ball was sent to his steakhouse he'd sign and return it.
While Calhoun was worried that he'd never see his prized possession again, he decided to trust Jordan and he later got a call from the steakhouse telling him 'Michael signed it and he wishes you well'.
Topics: Basketball, Michael Jordan, NBA, News, Sport, Money
Joe Harker