The man who made the pizza Michael Jordan ate the night before Game 5 of the 1997 Finals has come forward to share his side of the story.
Craig Fite was working a new job as an assistant manager at the Pizza Hut in Park City, Utah when an order arrived from the Marriott. Fite lived in Utah, but was a huge Jordan fan and named his son after him.
“I had bets, wagers with everybody on the store with it,” Fite told “The Big Show” on 1280 The Zone in Salt Lake City.
Fite washed his hands and didn't let the cooks make the pizza.
“I will make the pizza because I don’t want any of you doing anything to it,” Fite said.
Jordan and his entourage said that five guys from a local pizza place showed up with the delivery and that caused concern about tampering.
“Five guys delivering one pizza?” Tim Grover said. “They’re all trying to look in. I take the pizza. I pay them. I put this pizza down. I say, ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this pizza.’ ”
“I ate the pizza,” Jordan said. “All by myself. Nobody else ate the pizza. I wake up about 2:30 throwing up left and right … It really wasn’t the flu game. It was food poisoning.”
Fite disputed what was broadcast on ESPN.
“That’s a bunch of crap,” Fite said. “Sorry, we were five creepy looking guys that the guy felt threatened? I guess you have to sell your book but it really wasn’t that exciting.”
Fite says it was just himself and his delivery driver.
“There were two of us,” Fite said. “I didn’t even have that many people working [at the Pizza Hut].”
Fite was greeted at the door by Grover.
“‘Hey, can I at least say hi to Mike?’” Fite said he said. “I mean, why not? It’s my one shot. The door kind of opens up a little more. Mike is sitting at the chair, he’s playing cards or whatever, raises his hand and says, ‘Thanks man.’ The guy looks at me and shuts the door.”
Fite also confirmed that Jordan was in Park City at least until approximately 11 PM, which dispels the rumor that Jordan went to Las Vegas for a night of gambling and partying.
