Utah Valley University McKay Events Center – Orem, UT

The NBA D-League Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen provided many Utah residents with more excitement at last night’s home opener than they’d had all year. Like little kids on a Christmas morning, thousands of hopeful fans were hoping to catch a glimpse of ‘His Airness’ and become part of sporting history.

Utah residents kept rolling through the doors for an attendance which seemed to be more than the Flash have ever experienced to date. Flash staff even had to open multiple sections of additional seating after the game started in order to accommodate the huge amounts of unexpected Utah Flash fans.

The anticipation for last night’s game began to build months ago when Andersen dangled a $100,000 invitation to the greatest athlete the world has ever known—Michael Jordan. The catch? Andersen wanted to help former Utah Jazz player Bryon Russell exact revenge on MJ for a controversial push-off shot at the buzzer during Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, which gave ‘Air Jordan’ and the Chicago Bulls the crown.

As one of the principal sponsors of the Utah Flash, PMI has prime box seats at the venue, as well as other tickets throughout the arena. PMI employees are regulars at the Utah Flash games, and many were in attendance at last night’s game also hoping to see ‘Air Jordan’ defend his title as the King of Basketball. Unfortunately, for the PMI employees and the rest of the fans in attendance, Michael Jordan didn’t accept the invitation. Instead, Bryon Russell and an MJ impersonator took it upon themselves to boost the halftime-hype of a possible MJ appearance.

In the end, many fans weren’t happy with the PR move, and left immediately. Andersen apologized to the fans and assured them his intentions were simply to create a buzz for the team and give Utah Flash fans a little more excitement during these difficult economic times. Michael Jordan has not yet issued any statements about the celebrity impersonator stunt, but it’s probable he had a good laugh upon hearing about it.