除了公牛以外的任何球队，如果要签下乔丹，都不能越过1996-97赛季的工资帽上限——每支球队2430万美元。只有芝加哥公牛队可以自由地给乔丹支付他想要的薪水，这要归功于所谓的拉里·伯德条款，该条款允许球队在超过工资上限任何数额的情况下留住自己的自由球员。
节选内容来自1996年6月10日《体育画报》的文章（The $40 Million Man），该文章作者觉得乔丹值得4000万的年薪。
如果觉得《体育画报》权威性不够的话，那我还可以就“顶薪无上限”这件事伸展开来说说。这相当于是一个规则上的BUG，经过连年发展，使NBA各队的运营成本远远超出了原先商定的每年花掉53%总收入的数字。最终导致了1999年的停摆。
以下摘自维基百科关于99年停摆的论述：
The 1998–99 NBA lockout was the third lockout of four in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It lasted from July 1， 1998， to January 20， 1999， and forced the 1998–99 regular season to be shortened to 50 games per team and that season's All-Star Game to be canceled. NBA owners reopened the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in March 1998， seeking changes to the league's salary cap system and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed the owners' plans and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After the two sides failed to reach an agreement， the owners began the lockout.