Did Michael Jordan get immortalized at St. Peter's Basilica after election of Chicago native as pope? Viral tweet debunked

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected as the first US-born pope and will be known as Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican announced on Thursday. Much like Michael Jordan, the pope also hails from Chicago, which got a lot of people talking. On Thursday evening, the 69-year-old stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, wishing peace upon all those who showed up to see him.

On Friday, X user '@cokedupoptions' posted a picture of what he claimed to be a new stained glass design installed in St. Peter’s Basilica. The glass in question is designed to show Bulls legend, Michael Jordan, throwing down a dunk. However, no such mural of Jordan exists in St. Peter’s Basilica.

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Every decoration inside the place holds religious sentiment, and the chances of us ever seeing a Michael Jordan mural there are next to none. But, since Pope Leo hails from Chicago, many believed the viral tweet, which has over 2.5 million views, and bought into the narrative that Jordan has been immortalized at St. Peter's Basilica.

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While fans will always wish for more, there is no need for Michael Jordan to be immortalized by the pope. The Windy City already gave Jordan that honor after unveiling a statue of him inside the United Center in 1994. The inscription on the statue reads:

“The best there ever was.”

"Ordained by God now": Fans join Robert Griffin’s claim about the Pope believing Michael Jordan is the GOAT

Shortly after Cardinal Robert Prevost was announced as the new pope, former NFL QB Robert Griffin III posted on X, claiming that the new pope must have Jordan as his goat since he is also from Chicago. His post went viral, racking up more than 60K views in just a few hours. Fans flooded Griffin’s comment section, with many being in agreement with his claim:

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“This viewpoint is literally ordained by God now.” One fan said.

“Because Jordan is the GOAT,” Another fan said.

“He believes in God, he KNOWS MJ is the goat.😅,” Said another fan.

A few fans opined that, as the pope, he likely believes that a religious figure is the “GOAT”:

“Pretty sure he thinks God is the GOAT.” One fan said.

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"They do be worshipping goats," Another fan said.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pope has not weighed in on the NBA goat conversation, which is unlikely to change.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by John Maxwell