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As far as jersey numbers go, Michael Jordan is most known for his famous 23.
Then there's 45, the post-baseball digits that MJ wore with the Chicago Bulls.
But least known among his NBA jersey numbers is a one-night special: 12.
On Feb. 14, 1990, Michael wore 12, and he didn't even have his name on his back.
It's one of those things that comes up around this time, in this case the 26th anniversary, and it's still quite the story.
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Wait, why did Michael Jordan wear number 12?
Just reaching the peak of his powers with the Bulls, Jordan's jersey was stolen.
Apparently, there was no time to make a fresh 23.
Instead, the Bulls had a No. 12 lying around, nameless, not knowing it was about to be worn by one of the all-time greats.
Jordan didn't let his new number down, either.
All he did that night was drop 49 points. Apparently, his prowess wasn't just contained in 23.
The bummer, though, is that the Bulls actually lost, 135-129. The Orlando Magic got the game to overtime before pulling it out in the extra session.
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MJ actually shot 21-for-43 in a game when he decided he simply had to keep putting shots up.
The Magic got 34 points and 11 rebounds from Terry Catledge, along with 16 points and 19 rebounds from Sidney Green.
Yep, it was an odd night all around.
Jordan's 23 was back for the Bulls' next game. There was never even a jersey that said JORDAN 12 on the back. It was just 12, with an all-time great anonymous beneath those unusual digits.
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