Basketball : Jordan falls at first hurdle

MICHAEL JORDAN, the Chicago Bulls guard and NBA superstar who was said to be worth $10bn to his sport earlier this week, was brought down to earth on Wednesday night when the Chicago Bulls, the reigning NBA champions, lost the first game in this year's best-of-seven final series to the Utah Jazz, 88-85.

The Bulls, who started as the favourites, have dominated the NBA in recent years, including five consecutive championships starting in 1991. When they played the last game of their play-offs against the Indiana Pacers, over 20 million people watched on television.