

November 6, 1990. Game 3 of what would become the most important season in Chicago Bulls history. The 1990–91 campaign was the year it all came together — the year Phil Jackson's triangle offense clicked, the year Scottie Pippen stepped fully into his role, the year the Bulls finally broke through and won the first of six championships. This photograph documents the opening act of that season.
Jordan scored 36 points that night. He dished 12 assists. He pulled 8 rebounds. A performance that would be historic for any other player in NBA history is almost a footnote in Jordan's career — remarkable precisely because it was so routine for him. And yet here it is, documented in a photograph taken in the moment, annotated in red by the photographer's own hand.
The PSA label itself notes the Air Jordan V — the shoe Jordan wore during the first championship run. Those details are not accidental. PSA authenticated not just the photograph but the specific footwear visible in it. The shoes on his feet in this image are the shoes that won a championship. Charles Cherney's personal archive stamp and red notation confirm this print came directly from his files — not a wire service, not a newsroom. The photographer's own copy of the moment he captured.