Basketball: Jordan’s pizza guy from 1997 spills the sauce
CHICAGO— What did Craig Fite know and when did he know it?
Chicago got some answers on the “poisoned pizza” front, and they were about as satisfying as the extra-pepperoni thin crust that Michael Jordan ordered the night before his legendary performance in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.
Fite outed himself on Facebook and then did a 14-minute radio interview Tuesday night on Utah’s “The Zone.”
Fite said he was the assistant manager of the Park City Pizza Hut that fed Jordan’s desires around 10 p.m. He said he washed his hands, personally constructed the pizza and handdelivered it.
“I will make the pizza because I don’t want any of you doing anything to it,” Fite said he told the other employees in the store. “I told the driver: You are you going to take me there. It will be my first delivery.”
Fite said he had “no idea” it was for Jordan but that he “assumed” it was for someone on the Bulls.
Fite said the tale that athletic trainer Tim Grover told on ESPN’s “The Last Dance” — that five delivery guys arrived at the hotel — was not accurate.
“There were only two of us,” Fife said.
Fite said that once he approached Jordan’s room or suite, it felt like he got “punched in the face” by cigar smoke.
The pizza cost $15 (U.S.). Grover gave him $20 and told him to keep the change.
“I’m handing him the pizza and say: ‘Hey, can I at least say hi to
Mike?’ ” Fite recalled. “This is my one shot, right? Mike is playing cards or whatever. He raises his hand and says: ‘Thanks, man.’ That’s the extent of the whole story.”
The next day, Fite recalled, NBC Sports’ Bob Costas said Jordan had food poisoning. Others reported that Jordan was suffering from “flu-like” symptoms. Whatever the case, Jordan finished with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals while being so weak he needed assistance from Scottie Pippen just to return to the bench.
Fite told Jake Scott and Gordon Monson of “The Big Show” that he felt sick — OK, angry — after hearing Costas say food poisoning.
“After this happened I got called by the district manager saying: ‘If one guy got sick, how many others will we have to deal with?’ ” Fite said. “There were no other reports of anyone getting sick.
“It’s a thin, crisp pepperoni pizza. It’s tough to get food poisoning off that unless of course you add to it. That sure as heck didn’t happen.”
Fite theorized that Jordan got sick from cigars or other food.
At least he has something to tell his friends and family.
“The fun part of this story,” he said, “is that my son is named after Michael Jordan.”