The Michael Jordan statue at the United Center will be temporarily relocated Thursday in advance of construction work on the new office building for the Bulls and Blackhawks.
The body of the statue will be moved from the east side of the arena onto a temporary base at the southeast corner near Gate 5, weather permitting. The body will be the only portion of the statue being relocated. The base, which includes Jordan’s accolades, will be protected and remain in place.
The statue will return to its current place in front of Gate 4 when construction is finished.
The Jordan statue was unveiled before a national television audience on Nov. 1, 1994. It sits on a 5-foot high black granite base inscribed with Jordan’s basketball achievements, and the words, “The best there ever was. The best there ever will be.”
The statue measures 12 feet tall and weighs 2,000 pounds. The statue was cast in bronze using the “lost wax” method at Art Casting of Illinois, a foundry in Oregon, Illinois.
