90s
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🏀NBA·MLB⚾·March–June

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This Week in 90s Sports History

From Jordan's comeback to the McGwire-Sosa chase, from Ripken's streak to Ichiro's arrival — week by week, the spring moments that defined a generation of sports fans.

🏀 NBA⚾ MLB1991–2003

Browse by Week · March–June

📅Week 9 · Apr 26 – May 2
NBA1996

72-10: The Bulls Complete the Greatest Regular Season Ever

On April 21, 1996, the Chicago Bulls completed a 72–10 regular season — the greatest winning percentage in NBA history. They'd broken the 1971–72 Lakers' record of 69 wins. Jordan. Pippen. Rodman. Phil Jackson's triangle. They were a machine. But the real pressure started now: the regular season record meant nothing without the championship.

Quick Stats

  • ▸72–10 was the best regular season record in NBA history at the time
  • ▸Bulls won the 1996 title 4–2 over Seattle — regular season validated
  • ▸Jordan's .897 winning percentage that season is a record in a single season with his teams

Fan Memory

Did you think the 72-win Bulls were the greatest team ever after that season, or did you wait to see if they'd win the title?

MLB1998

McGwire's April: 11 Home Runs and Counting

Mark McGwire hit 11 home runs in April 1998. Eleven. In a month. The previous record for April was 8. By the time May started, baseball fans weren't asking if he'd break the record — they were asking by how much. The distances were absurd, the crowds chased every ball into the seats, and every McGwire at-bat became a national event.

Quick Stats

  • ▸McGwire's 11 April HRs set a new single-month record at the time
  • ▸He hit 27 HRs by the end of May — on pace for 80+ over a full season
  • ▸Cardinals home games sold out every night he was scheduled to play

Fan Memory

Did you go to a game specifically to see McGwire bat that year, or were you watching it on TV obsessively?

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