this is "through the decades," a unique hour long time capsule. today we look back at the decade of the '90s from the so called trial of the century "how do you plead to counts one and two?" "absolutely 100-percent not guilty." to the attack on an olympic "there is word tonight that arrest warrants have now been issued for the attack on olympic figure skater nancy kerrigan. " and the marriage of two of music's top royalty. "please welcome mr. and mrs. michael jackson." those stories and more, in the next hour, part of a different kind of television experience, where we relive, remember and relate to the events that are cemented in history. i'm ellee pai hong.

i'm kerry sayers. and i'm your host, bill kurtis. it's the '90's "through the decades." generation x was grown up and working. bill clinton was in the white house. friends was on the television and the world wide web was, well beginning its ubiquitous ascent. it was the '90s. today on "through the decades" we take the hour to look back some of the biggest events to define that decade. from the tragic death of the face of grunge music to an attack on an olympic skater masterminded by her on-ice rival and the wedding of the king of pop and the daughter of the king of rock and roll. but we begin with the murder trial that would consume the nation's attention in the '90s and beyond. it began after former nfl star o.j simpson was arraigned on

deaths of ex-wife nicole brown simpson and her friend ron goldman in june, 1994. it was dubbed the trial of the century and it had all the makings of a hollywood film with bigger than life, real- life characters from the prosecution to the defense to the judge to the defendant himself and it all played out on television every day for the whole country to watch. "o.j. simpson was back i court today for the first time since a judge ordered him to stand trial for two brutal murders. the formal charges against him were read.then he entered his plea." july 22, 1994, oj simpson's high profile defense attorneys pushed their way through a throng of onlookers to reach the court for their client's arraignment. "in the hushed courtroom, supervising judge cecil mills read the charges, that o.j.

ex-wife nicole brown simpson and her friend ronald goldman." courtroom practice dictates that the accused may plead using only the words 'guilty' or 'not guilty.' but there would be nothing ordinary about this trial, and that was clear from the moment simpson entered his plea. "how do you plead to counts one and two?" "absolutely 100-percent not guilty." one hundred percent not guilty setting the definitive tone for the defense. "well, the prose work cut out for them. they are facing perhaps the toughest team ever assembled by a defendant." the prosecution was led by deputy district attorney marcia clark, from her point of view, clark wouldn't just take on just one murder case, with simpson, she would face defending the entire los angeles system of law enforcement with all its shortcomings. "in the larger context, there had been tension between the black community and l-a-p-d for

for 10-yrs when i picked up the simpson case and race was always an issue in every case for those 10-years when the defendant was an african- american." "there were the rodney king riots after the rodney king verdict, in which the police officers caught on videotape beating rodney king were acquitted by an all-white jury." "the riots that followed that verdict were the most violent in that century and that was verdict were the most violent in that century and that was simpson case came about." "when i read the jury questionnaires, it became apparent to me that a big section of the jury pool was inclined to acquit right from the start." "it has taken seven months to reach this point but today the state of california finally did get to begin to prove to a jury that o.j. simpson is a cold blooded murderer and a double murderer."

think, in the black community to not see him go down for this. it kind of evened the score. there was this attitude of it's payback time for th rodney king verdict and one of the jurors was overheard saying during voir dire that it was payback time." "now, we will show you the other side of the smiling face you saw on the hertz commercial. the one you never saw on camera. the one none of us ever wanted to see." "o.j. simpson's attorneys began their attack today on the in his opening statement, defense attorney johnnie cochran junior insisted o.j. simpson would not, could not and did not murder his former wife nicole brown and ronald goldman." "i mean, the trial was a nightmare because justice was subverted and i watched it happen every single day. the defense ran the courtroom. the judge dropped the reigns, let them basically run amok in the courtroom and do whatever they wanted really. motions that never existed, they invented them and the judge was granting

handling of the lincoln savings & loan swindle case. ito recently said, a judge would be crazy to want the o.j. simpson case because of the amount of public scrutiny." "i know he was very invested in celebrity. he was somebody who was so star struck. it was palpable and obvious. he had a steady stream of celebrities going in and out of that chambers, his chambers, every single day it was so improper that it was mind-blowing." alsomproper, according to clark, was rampant sexism. alsomproper, according to clark, was rampant sexism. "in what some characterize as a critical, strategic error on the part of the prosecution, a potentially powerful moment appeared to backfire when prosecutors asked o.j. simpson to put on the bloody gloves they say he used to commit murder." "he seems to be having a problem placing the glove on his hand." "simpson was wearing latex gloves as he attempted to pull on the extra large leather gloves they appeared too small and that's exactly what simpson

"and of cose, there were a million reasons why it doesn't work. the gloves have been frozen and unfrozen, ty shrunk, not to mention the fact that he is not gonna to try very hard to make them fit. it was a disaster of an idea." "would you expect that the fact that he is wearing latex gloves here today inhibit ... would that his ability to extend his hand through the glove?" "i personally have never put on latex gloves and tried on gloves so i really couldn't say but i would say that appears to be a factor." and this is what always blows my mind. we had a duplicate and this is what always blows my mind. we had a duplicate he didn't have to wear over latex and they fit him perfectly and yes, and nobody reported on it." "mr. simpson, would you please stand and face the jury." "even today as o.j. simpson looked directly at them, members of the jury refused to return his gaze, instead staring straight ahead, stealing furtive glances at the audience as the clerk of court read. the world it seemed, held its breath."

orenthal james simpson, case number ba097211, we the jury in the above entitled action, find the defendant orenthal james simpson not guty of the crime of murder in violation of penal code 187(a), a felony against nicole brown simpson, a human being ..." "the words exploded upn the courtroom. after 167 days of dissolved in relief.pson prosecutors froze in stunned dissolved in relief.pson prosecutors froze in stunned disbelief, braced for the verdict." "you can know that something is going to happen and then when it does it still really hurts." "prosecutor marcia clark tried to console her team." "please don't let this make you lose faith in our system. please don't let this deter you from doing a job you're so well-qualified to do." "o.j. simpson was in jail and held the nation in thrall for 473 days. today, his imprisonment and trial are over. but the qstions raised about rac the police, the

"in every case, i walk o the door thinking every day, i should have done this. i could have done that.. i should have done ... but the bottom line is nothing that i could change would have made a difference in the verdict." when we continue our look back on the '90s, when the voice of a rock movement brought his own sto to an early end. serves as a touchpoint for teen drama. the historic clash that uc one of sport's more bizarre moments. plus, we look back on the sensational marriage between the king of rock's daughter and pop music royalty. then, we remember the show that made "90210" television's most famous zip code. and the legendary career of a man who was known to the world as "his airness" and how exactly michael jordan came to hold the title. it's all still ahead, right

janis joplin. jim morrison. jimi hendrix. amy winehouse. an all-star group of musicians joined by more than talent. none would live to see their twenty-eighth birthday. another member of the infamous 27 club was kurt cobain. he defined the '90s as the face of grunge and voice of the decades' counter-culture the nirvana frontman took his

after he burst onto the national scene and altered music's landscape. "he was about making the mic he wanted to make and the fact that it connected with this audience, you know, is almost irrelevant." in 1989, kurt cobain, along with fellow seattle area friend krist novoselic, started the alternative ock band, nirvana, producing their first album in 1990. the next year they added drummer dave grohl and released "nevermind " with teen spirit." nirvana would go mainstream, the album woulgo platinum and cobain was crowned the voice of a generation, a rock star, something he never aspired to. *singing* "here we are now entertain us." "here we are now entertain us kurt hated this businesss of voice of a generation but the use of that secondson

something that you didn't get from the hair metal bands, you didn't get from michael jackson." "cobain was seen as a man who had everything - success, a beautiful wife, a baby and a drug problem." "i think they knew he was trbled. they knew he was battling drug problems. they knew that the marriage with courtney love was very controversial. it had its ups and downs." "do you like fatherhood?" "vodka? yes, i love vodka." "these troubles caught upith him so people were not surprised, theew had troubles. he's a guy who wrote really good songs and made us feel connected to him through that and also had troubles that claimed his life." "the lead singer of nirvana, a rock group especially popular with people in their teens and twenties shot and killed himself at his home in seatlle, washington today." "just last month, cobain was hospit foralizedn overdose of drugs and alcohol. kurt cobain was 27." it was a loss that shook the

fans while shaken weren't surprised. "he almost od'd about a couple of weeks ago and he was in a coma and we almost lost him then." "well, it's just sad, really. it's really a sad thing." the aftermath gripped the country. his wife, musician courtney love told barbara walters she felt responsible for his suicide because she had staged an intervention for him as he struggled with his addictions. "this is a woman who feels very addictions. "this is a woman who feels very guilty and what happened is after the intervention she screamed at him one day because evidently he had dropped their baby daughter, frances bean. the child was heavily dressed and had a hood on so she didn't get hurt." "and courtney said, 'you dropped this baby. you dropped this baby and he was so filled with guilt that she feels that was the trigger that made him kill himself."

the singer before he died says music was cobain's life and he had been looking forward to the music he would make in the future. "kurt cobain was a man who could just as soon imagine not breathing or not eating as not playing music. it was that important to him." "the man i met, i very rarely recognize in media portraits. you know he's depressed. he's in pain. it's angst. it's a product of divorce, drug addicted, miserable s-o-b. no. no. no. no. he had a very strong vision an he intended to live a long time ke music. there was not a death wish there." "this was a man who loved music. for him, every time he picked up the guitar it was an act of saying, 'i'm glad to be alive.'" while his music proclaimed life, his death worried some about the impact it would have on his gen xer fans. "he was a very gifted person but i don't think they're gonna take this as some message that

ulitmately, there was not a rash of teenagers that followed suit but the music kurt left behind remains revolutionary, a tribute to an era that he alone came to define. "ithink it's easy to romanticize nirvana from this point in time almost three decades later but the fact is, that they are very, very good. they were very good and they're timeless in their strengths like all great rock still ahead, as we continue our look back on the stories that defined a decade. we remember the brief-lived but landmark television series, "my so-called life." plus, the story behind one of the most bizarre moments in olympic history.

john, we're giving you a raise. that's fantastic! but i'm gonna pass. are you ok? honey, you got another present. no thank you, dad. who says no to more? time warner cable internet gives you more of what you and those little data hoggers want. like ultraast spds uto 50 megs. that's 8x faster than dsl. this internet speed is sick. month. call now. and with home wifi, the whole family can be online at once. g reat for kids to stream scary shows while not cleaning their room. you'll also get our exclusive 1-hour arrival window, a money-back guarantee, and there's no contract to sign. get 15 meg internet with no data cap starting at $39.99 a month. plus, free installation and access to over 500,000 twc wifi? hotspots nationwide.

i don't think so. say yes to more. call now. it priemered in august, 1994 and though it was on the air for just one season, ask any gen-xer about the show "my so for just one season, ask any gen-xer about the show "my so they were a fan. praised by critics for its thoughtful writing, the cult classic was about an angst- ridden teen, played by hollywood newcomer, claire da but the show's critical acclaim did not translate into ratings and much to the disappointment of its fans, it was cancelled after 19-episodes. "background and action!"

premiered on august 25, 1994, it got a prime spot - thursdays at eight p.m. on the abc network. airing opposite nbc's widly popular mad about you and friends, the new show had its work cut out for it. claire danes was 15 when she took on the lead role of angela chase, an introspective teen navigating life's weighty issues. "i feel so stupid. my entire relationship with jordan catalano evein has completely sucked and now its over. i shouldve just had sex with him." dane's love interest was played by teen heartthrob and future oscar winner, jared leto.

that talks to you like your're a person and that doesn't treat you like you're inept or something how sometimes shows for teenagers talk to you like they talk down to you they talk to you like, we're on the same level, you know?" "it's not a preachy show and it deals with issues but that's "it's not a preachy show and it deals with issues but that's not what the shows about it. it's about a group of people whi are just living" "if something happens it doesn't always have a solution you know ... which is more like life you know." cruz, who played dane's best friend, rickie vasquez, was the first openly gay teenager on primetime television. the show would end up launching danes' career, but it came with a price. "i never have a break so i don't know. if i'm not working

school, i'm working and i'm always being tugged from place to place, you know claire we need you. claire we need you. claire you want to go to make up? claire you wanna? no, i don't but you know i have to say i love everyone on the set so much and it just makes this craziness possible." in january 1995, danes' hard work paid off when she took home a golden globe for best "i don't know what happening even right now. yeah. good things. good things. . it's all good. it works out in the end." but in the end, ratings for the show never matched its critical acclaim. "it's going to be the lost series 40 years from now they'll come back to the archives at abc and go look, this was kind of good!"

the news led to a grassroots campaign by fans to try and save it. "operation life support is a viewer campaign to generate interest and sustain interest in 'my so called life.'" "here's one that reads steve, i'm a big fan of 'my so called life' and want to help keep it on t-v." "my so called life is the best thing that happened to television and its a damn shame thing that happened to television and its a damn shame majorty of the population doesn't know it." but their efforts would be in vain. more than 20-years later, my so-called life lives on and for many, the show has left an enduring legacy. still to come, the fight and the bite that stunned america. plus, from his nba titles and m-v-p awards to his iconic brand, we look back on how michael jordan reached the

athlete alive.

few boxing matches have been cemented into pop culture like the 1997 re-match between mike tyson and evander holyfield. but the events of june 28, 1997 will always be remembered for the way the fight ended.

revenge. he was no longer the "baddest man on the planet." three years in prison had stolen his prime. he was something else - a curiosity. a man trying to regain his spot and his heavyweight title. but the only thing that went down that night was a piece of tyson's opponent, evander holyfield. the groundwork for t fight was laid eight months prior in november of 1996. holyfield came into that first tyson fight as a big underdog but was confident nonetheless. "i know that on november the 9, whatever it takes, i have it and i will be victorious." tyson had lost only one fight in his career . "i don't know how anyone feels. my objective is to make my opponent feel my punches." but in what would be the "ring

holyfield would take it to tyson and end up winning by t-k- o in the eleventh round. with a 100 million dollar purse, a re-match was a no brainer. "the energy is growing by geometric progression. the enthusiam you could cut it with a knife. the excitement, the anticipation - it's just overwhelming." so holyfield and tyson started training again for another heavyweight clash . training again for another heavyweight clash . holyfield again came out and took it to tyson . taking the first and second rounds. but in the third, tyson just lost it. during a tie-up, tyson spit out his mouth guard and took a bite out of holyfield's ear. but the fight continued. that is until a few seconds later when tyson did it again. the ref stopped the fight.

thousands in attendance and millions watching at home couldn't believe what they saw. "it's commonly known that holyfield likes to put dijon mustard on his ears and people know that mike loves dijon mustard." the nevada athletic commission fined tyson and revoked his license for a year. tyson would apologize shortly after the fight then again years later. after the fight then again years later. now-a-days, holyfield has forgiven the former champ. part of the '90s, would be headlines after headlines about scandals involving athletes, entertainers and royalty. but one such scandal managed to incorporate all three. the attack on olympic figure- skating queen nancy kerrigan in 1994. "why? why? why?"

the news rocked the figure- skating community and the world. just moments after finishing a practice, nancy kerrigan, the favorite in the upcoming winter olympics women's figure- skating competition was attacked by an unknown assailant, who struck her right knee with a blunt ject before escaping. the injury might have jeopardized her plac on the team but she was made of stronger stuff. "a terrifying assault kept nancy kerrigan from competing in the u.s. olympic trls figure skater is going to lillehammer next month and this afternoon she posed with the entire team." "i'm just really glad that the vote didn't take any longer. it was really nice to be done so quickly." "today kerrigan was once again the quinssential spokes- athlete, lending her support to one of the corporate sponsors of the olympic skating team. in an interview with cbs news, she said that physically she's recovering quite rapidly." "how are you feeling today?

therapy first thing this morning and swelling's go down a little bit more." a few days later, the story took a bizarre turn when investigators uncovered a link to one of kerrigan's chief rivals on the team. "tonya harding returned home to portland, oregon this week a champion but now reports link her husband and her bodyguard to the attack last week on nancy kerrigan. the two are said to be heard on an audiotape plotting the incident in which kerrigan's leg wa wielding an iron bar." "a local minister, gene saunders, told a private investigator he heard taped discussion about the attack but today saunders wasn't talking." "i--i don't have any comment." "the private investigator, gary crowe, says reverend gene saunders identified one of those on the tape as shawn eckhardt, harding's bodyguard." "it was--gene explained to me that shawn was approached by harding's husband and asked to

who could do some sort of bodily damage to nancy kerrigan." the focus shifted from victim to suspect. "good evening. there is word tonight that arrest warrants have now been issued for the attack on olympic figure skater said to include conspiracy."are "reports continue to identify harding's bodyguard, shawn eckardt, the man in the trenchcoat, as involved in arranging the attack. there is node support some reports the skater herself is a suspect." "harding herself has always seemed a bit of a misfit in the skating world. the blue-collar kid who became a champion." "she would be much more comfortable in a pool hall than at a skating luncheon." "harding's rocky marriage and bursts of temper have made her anything but a darling of figure skating but so far none of that controversy has diminished her enormous talent." two weeks later, the controversy became outright scandal. "it was a nervous tonya harding

everything she knew about the attack on her rival nancy kerrigan." "many of you will be unable to forgive me for that. it will be difficult to forgive myself." "but harding insisteshe knew nothing about the assault until after it happened, until after she returned to portland from the national figure skating championships where kerrigan was injured." "within the next few days, i learned that some persons that were close to me may have been one of disbelief and the disbelief was followed by shock and fear." "it was not until 12 days after the attack that harding went to fbi headquarters in portland to tell what she knew." "although my lawyers tell me that my failure to immediately report this information is not a crime, i know i have let you down but i have also let myself down."

helped cover up the assault in any way, if she simply failed to speak up immediately, she may avoid criminal charges." "in some ways, harding's olympic dream may already be gone. in an interview for tonight's 'eye to eye' program on cbs, harding's mother told connie chung even a win would in some ways be a loss." "at this point, it wouldn't mean anything. because of the fact she'll never have sponsors, she can't do commercials and things for them i don't imagine, the her." "i have devoted my entire life to one objective: winning an olympic gold medal for my country." "whether the world gets to see that performance may hinge on statements by ex-husband jeff gillooly, who again today met investigators. harding has said she performs best under pressure. and now she's under more pressure than ever." in the end, harding was allowed to compete at lillehammer.

was granted a re-skate and came in eighth. kerrigan skated superbly but lost the gold medal by the slimmest of margins to ukraine's oksana baiul. in the months and years that followed we'd watch the fall-out for the co-conspirators. shawn eckardt served 14 months in prison for carrying out the attack. harding's ex-husband jeff gillooly was also convicted in the scheme. hardg time to time from reality t-v to a book and a boxing career serving as a reminder of one of the more bizarre chapters, not only in skating but in all of sports. as we continue our look back on the stories that made the 1990's, we look back on when the king of pop married the princess of graceland. plus, the t-v show that left us with a california zip code

memory. memory. this is "through the decades."

he was arguable the biggest pop star on the planet. she was the daughter of rock royalty and in 1994, the king of pop,

presley got married in a private ceremony. they seemed an unlikely pair and their nearly two year marriage seemed to play out entirely in the tabloid headlines. "please welcome mr. and mrs. michael jackson." "i'm very happy to be here and just think nobody thought this would last." just think nobody thought this would last." and it wouldn't last not for long anyway. on may 26, 1994, micel jackson, the self-proclaimed king of pop and lisa marie presley, daughter of the king of rock and roll, tied the knot in a private ceremony in the dominican republic.

a secret, it wouldn't be long before word of their nuptials leaked out. even then, jackson's spokesman denied it saying there had been no marriage. but when a dominican newspaper published photos of what appeared to be a marriage license, jackson and presley could no longer deny the truth. on august 1, 1994, presley released a statement. in she said "my marriage to michael jackson tookce ceremony outside the united states eleven weeks ago." "my married name is mrs. lisa marie presley-jackson." "i am very much in love with michael. i dedicate my life to being his wife. i understand and suppt him.e bo look forward to raising a family and living a happy, healthy life together." it was the first marriage for 35-year-old jackson and the second for 26-year-old presley, who had two children with ex-

their less than two year marriage seemed like it was made in tabloid heaven and there was wide spread speculation about motives for their union. "ladies and gentlemen, mr. michael jackson and miss lisa presley jackson" the wedding came at a time jackson was embroiled in an ongoing investigation over whether he had sexually abused a 13-year old boy. whether he had sexually abused a 13-year old boy. "there were no prenuptial agreeemnts. why did he marry her? he married her to get credibility, get legitimacy because these terrible allegations that were out." jackson vehemently denied the accusations and charges were never filed. as for presley, some thought she was using jackson to jump start her singing career. but she strongly defended her decision to marry jackson, even years after their divorce. "i fell in love with him. probably some delusional idea that we could save the world

that was going to be squashed by me, by my celebrity or my garbage that comes with me." at the time, lisa's mother, priscilla presley, publicly announced that she gave the couple her blessing. "there was a point in my life where no one would ever tell me anything bad that was ever said or things that were going on around me that i would you know i was kind of protected and no one was ever telling me what was happening or what was going on really so i had a very obscure and actually completely on really so i had a very obscure and actually completely long time." on january 18, 1996, after just 20 months of marriage, presley filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. but even after their divorce, she often accompanied jackson to red carpet events. years later, presley would say it was jackson's growing dependance on prescription drugs that ultimately pushed them apart.

aired the entire decade from 1990 to 2000. brenda, brandon, dylan, kelly, steve, donna and david - your not so average kids next door from that now famous zipcode, beverly hills 90210. "what's so funny?' "poor stev" "what's up buddy?" beverly hills 90210. "what's up buddy?" beverly hills 90210. aaron spelling's glitzy teen drama that would not only define television in the '90s but pave the way for future teen dramas. but in the weeks leading up to the series finale, the show was still doing what it did best, it kept viewers guessing. "there's a gonna be a big explosion and the whole city of beverly hills is going to go up in smoke." "jason priestly is returning. he's coming back except he's not playing brandon. we're going

he'll be wearing a mustache. he might be the bbi at david's ... somebody's wedding ... oh no, did i just blow it? yeah, don't talk about any weddings, okay please? please?" "it's been like family for the last 10 years. it's togoing be weird not to play donna but i'm really excited to do other things." 90210 debuted on october 4, 1990 on the still fledgling fox network and perpetuated the fantasy of life in beverly hills - expensive cars, platinum credit cards and an good looks. "action! "hey feeling any better today?" "no, actually i'm feeling a lot worse so consider yourself warned." "did i do something?" "look brandon you're a very sweet boy but i'm going through some heavy personal stuff right now and i'm not about to pour my heart out to a teenager from beverly hills."

as vacant and shallow and up against chee on thursday nights, the ratings the first year were low. buit was a sleeper hit and by 1991 the numbers were growing fueled mostly by a base of teenage girls. newcomer luke perry played bad boy dylan mckay. "i don't think anybodys good all the time i don't think anybodys bad all the time and all the time i don't think anybodys bad all the time and little bit of both sides of dylan so i get mixed reviews some people i go out and see them and they think oh you're such a nice guy and other people are going you shouldn't have done that." before landing the role of dylan, perry had been laying asphalt. the show turned him and jason priestly into major tv stars. "i'm standing right in front of you you should be able to see me." "action luke! " "action! yo cumbie can i buy you

little chicken, some salsa ranchero, you got a customer." "cut! thank you!" "in terms of the star business, we start slapping reach other when somebody gets too big headed, you know? the show is good and i'll say that and yeah i'm on a good show because its an ensemble piece everybody works and everybody brings something to it." "there's never been any competition. if anything we're "there's never been any competition. if anything we're all very supportive of happy for each othersuccesses." beneath 90210's glitz and glamour, it was a show about teenagers navigating adolscence. and it potrayed teens as more thoughtful and complicated than they had been depicted on 1950s and '60s television programs. "i think that you have to give your audience a little bit more credit for being more intelligent and that's what a lot of high school shows don't do. our show is not a high school show. it's dealing with life and real issues and

controversial which we all like." being on fox allowed 90210's creators to be experimental. "we had a very big controversial show where i lost my virginity and i was very weary of it and the producers thought it would be great and i didn't and it was kind of interesting because the audience really did not like it and it's nice for me because i think it's too soon for brenda as well but it lets us know that our audience is really into the show and really paying attention to it for us to get as many phone calls after one show about it." they continued to push the boundaries with storylines about shoplifting, drugs, aids, teen pregnancy and date rape. "the issues, i hope people will remember the show as an issue based show not just a fluffy, you know beverly hills, blah blah blah. our show reached the peak of our success during a time when we were dealing with major issues that young people

however its remembered, beverly hills 90210 will forever live on in the hearts of its fans. "don't you wish we could rewind the last three years?" "no, not really." "what!? you like playing the field?" "no, not really but you know what? i'm glad i did because now i realize how lucky i am to be with you." "oh! that was sweet." "oh! that was sweet." when we continue our look back on the stories that defined the 1990's, we remember the player, the brand and the icon that still influences professional basketball today -- the legacy of michael jordan. it's next on "through the decades."

would you say no to a lot more money? [excited scream] you just won a million dollars! no thanks. nice balloons, though! or no to more vacation days? janet, i'm giving you an extra week's vacation! oh, ah... nooo. what? no way. who says no to more? time warner cable's all about giving you more. like the most free hd channels and virtually unlimited movies and shows on demand, so you can binge all day. call now. and don't forget the free tv app. get ultra-fast internet with secure home wifi to connect all your devices. saving on mobile data fees, helps big time. switch to time warner cable. for $89.99 a month you'll get free hd channels, 30 meg internet and

orld. we can call aunt rose as much as we want now. switching is easy. get our exclusive 1-hour arrival window, a money-back guarantee with no contract to sign. plus get free installation, tv equiment and epix included. really? honest...no. say yes to more. call now. throughout his award winning

dunked his way to victory over and over again. that included six nba championships in the decade of the '90s. he and his chicago bulls did it in two stints of three consecutive runs, dubbed "the three-peats." putting an exclamation mark on one of the most storied careers in sports history. in sports history. in the midst of another championship run in 1998 were rumblings that the bulls' dynasty was nearing its end, that the band was breaking up, that michael jordan, likely the greatest player to ever play the game, would retire for real this time. the 1998 finals, a rematch of the the 1997 finals, would end

the utah jazz six games. with five point two seconds left in the game on june 14, 1998, jordan, of course, would hit the winning shot securing for chicago its sixth nba championship in eight years. "in chicago, as fans savored the victory, it was difficult to fathom a future without jordan." "i watch basketball a lot and most of the reasons why i watch basketball is because jordan's playing. so i probably--i don't know what i'd do if he didn't come back." "i don't know how well the team's gonna survive, let alone me." six mont later, he made it official. "this is a perft time for me walk aw?kay fr the game and i'm at peace with that." and just like in '93, after his first retiremt,s mourned. "i just wanna tell michael jordan that i think he's the greatest player in the world and please don't quit."

and while, jordan's retirement uld be a huge loss to the nba, to fans and to the game of basketball, his legacy would endure, reaching heights even he couldn't have imagined. "i don't think there's another figure in the history of american sports that rivals michael jordan for the impact he had on society." smith, who has written extensively about jordan, says m-j's iconic influence transcends the game. "pe basketball, were entranced by this figure, beautiful smile, handled himself, you know, professionlly. the way, he dressed, the way he acted, walked, everything." "he shaped what people wore, how people dressed." "money, it's got to be the shoes! shoes. shoes. shoes. shoes. you're sure it's not the shoes?" but the air jordans, the now jordan brand and other multimillion dollar endorsements like gatorade and

profitable marketing machines in the history of sports, even afr being retired for more than a decad."jorcamedan be bigs icon whose name said as much about the product line as the mehandise itse." smith says one reason name is synonomous with greatne is that everybody wants to be like mike. "people want to be associated with success, you know the ultimate in success, they want e be associated with quality.jordan he's the tiffany of sportthis is the best. this is the best to be associated with." as owner of the charlotte hornets, jordan's days of soaring above everyone else are over as he lives his life under the radar and t of the limelight still, his popularity is unprecedented. "because he withdrew and he became almost a mystical figure." "he didn't grow old in front of

image that we rememember michael jordan as a player." "i think that the world and america appreciates that." in fact, a 2015 harris poll revealed michael jordan's still considered the top ranked athlete in history. "that he hasn't sold himself as a celebrity, that he's maintained true to what he is." "he always used to say, when i'm done playing, you're never gonna see me and in part he was true to that in a sense." but the man who was always the barometer for whom everyone else was measured against, remains to this day an incomparable athlete, a once in a lifetime star who will forever be ingrained in our minds for what we too can only hope to accomplish. "he could impact a moment. that's what was special about michael jordan." "michael jordan. when the moment came, he rose to the moment."

and as smith contends, there is

that'll do it for us today. i'm bill kurtis. as we leave, one last look back at the '90s, "through the

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? ? >> ten military veterans face the ultimate test of their athletic ability and endurance. they're all i saidational figures, and now they're going to challenge themselves and each other to the absolute limits as they battle for a $50,000 prize. th games.