Basketball fans, do you know what today is?

What does the number 32 mean to you? For old-timers, 31 was Billy Cunningham’s number. For the younger folks, it’s Luke Maye’s number.

But there’s a third reason to keep 32 in mind, today in particular. 32 years ago today, Michael Jordan played one of eight games the entire 1986 season for the Chicago Bulls. Memorable because it was the second game of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics and Larry “The Legend” Bird. Memorable because Jordan, 1985 NBA Rookie of the Year, dropped 63 points on Bird and the then Big 3 of the NBA. Memorable, because the Bulls lost in double overtime.

Chicago was swept in the best-of-five series, and after the game, Bird issued one of his classic quotes, calling the former Tar Heel turned international star “God disguised as Michael Jordan.” The 63 points Jordan scored shattered Elgin Baylor’s single-game NBA playoff record, and the record set by #23 still stands.

The backstory to all these memories and important moments is just as interesting as the game itself, and known only to people who either followed Jordan’s career closely or have asked, “Why did MJ play only eight games that season?”

He had suffered a broken foot in the third game and was thought to be lost for the season, especially when the Bulls were hurtling toward an early draft pick with among the worst records in the NBA. At the same time, Jordan was in Chapel Hill rehabbing his foot. When given the green light to play, he began lighting up current and former Tar Heels at the brand-new Smith Center that had just opened.

Dean Smith asked him if he felt 100 percent. When Jordan nodded, Smith said, “Why don’t you go help the Bulls make the playoffs?”

Yes, the Bulls were close to the playoffs in a top-heavy NBA. Jordan started bugging Bulls’ coach Stan Albeck about coming back, and at first management said no. Rumors swirled they were trying to tank and get an advantageous draft position. But the Bulls finished in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, finishing with a 32-50 record, the fifth-worst of any playoff team in history.

Jordan came back, dropped 63 on Bird & Co. and his career took off a few years later toward mythical heights. Yes, today was that day.