“It meant a lot to me that my dad could see me play my last game,” he admitted. Michael Jordan October 6, 1993. At the age of 30, this great star NBA The announcement of retirement shocked the sports world. His three championship rings and three MVPs in the finals and regular season are still fresh in the memory of basketball fans. “because?”everyone asks, even magazines sports illustrated on its cover.
Two months before he announced his departure from the NBA, his father was brutally murdered, ultimately influencing his decision. The emotional shock caused him to deeply reflect on his life. Persecuted by intense scrutiny in every corner of the planet, he seeks to start over and live a more peaceful life as a global icon. “The word retreat means you can do whatever you want. ““, he told a news conference in Chicago that lasted nearly an hour.
The family aspect appears to have been a key factor in his retirement from the court. “It’s time to stop being selfish start a more normal life ” he said. While it’s difficult to put himself in his shoes, Jordan also gave sporting reasons to justify his resignation. “I’m just tired and I don’t want to stay in the NBA,” he said. To sum up , at the basketball level, the Bulls seem to be not far away from three consecutive championships.
Addicted to “competition”
Jordan has been open about potentially retiring early since his first playing days with the Bulls. The pressure of being the most famous athlete in the world, reinforced by his role in the ’92 Barcelona Dream Team, was taking its toll on him.Despite winning the gold medal, that Olympics left him psychological reserve before facing his final year in the NBA.
The American League and its commissioner, the equally famous David Stern, investigated several gambling and gambling controversies involving MJ in 1993. He himself admitted in an interview with Ahmed Rashad that he had problems, albeit from his own perspective. “I have a competition problem”claiming “23”.
It turns out that Jordan had been making bets with friends, co-workers and even dates since high school. In 1982, the University of North Carolina recorded a five-dollar check signed after losing a pool game. All these anecdotes have been contrasted in several books looking back on the icon’s life and work.
Sam Smithfamous journalist and author Jordan RulesThis is the most volcanic and shocking book about player rule. He is well aware of the protagonist’s gambling addiction.Join him and other reporters who frequent Bulls games Many card games, It was one of his favorite pastimes during the 1992 Olympics. The number he was willing to bet was so high that even the other stars on the Dream Team chose to ignore the topic.
“Jordan Rules” author Sam Smith in documentary “The Last Dance”
In February 1993, the problem became serious, James Boller He was sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiracy and money laundering.Suspected of drug trafficking, his case Bring Jordan to the standshe had to admit that a $57,000 check in his name was the result of a bet placed on the golf course.
On the greens, Jordan left a real legacy. Richard EsquinasJordan, a regular partner in his games, published a book in May 1993 in which he claimed Jordan owed him $1.25 million for losing bets. He denied it but eventually settled the dispute. $300,000 returned Then-director of a sports center in San Diego, California, and current yoga teacher.
Atlantic City Casino Getaway
During this period 1993 NBA Finals, Jordan’s reputation took a huge hit.Before the second game against the championship team new york knicksthe player was hunted down in one of the casinos Atlantic City. All of this was investigated by Stern and the league, and no evidence of regulatory violations was found.
Some then tried to build a theory surrounding Jordan’s possible shadow suspension. He himself, perhaps unintentionally, fed it at the same press conference in 1993. They asked him the obvious question: Would he consider returning? “Five years from now, if I feel the need, if the Bulls take me, If David Stern asks me to come back to the league, maybe I’ll come backhe replied. Many viewed the explicit mention of the commissioner as evidence that there was something else going on behind the scenes.
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Jordan’s 1993 stats
Even though he never stepped foot on an NBA court again, Michael Jordan’s numbers in the nine seasons before his first retirement were truly astounding and more than cemented his legacy:
🏆 3x NBA rings
🏅 3-time NBA Finals MVP
🎖️ 3 times NBA regular season MVP
⚔️ 6-time NBA Best Guard
🏀 7-time NBA leading scorer
🌟 9x All-Star Selection
📊 32.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.7 steals and 1 block in 667 games (TC 51.6%; 3-point shooting 30.1%)
Stern himself has ruled out this possibility more than once. “There is no truth to this topic.. Folklore, urban legend, I kicked him out because he was playing,” the commissioner said in text recovered from the documentary. last dance.
The same protagonist in the video also ruled out this possibility numerous times. “I didn’t retire because they fired me or suspended me for a year and a half. That’s not true. I needed a break and my dad had just passed away. “I left with the idea that I wouldn’t come back.”Jordan insisted.
For many, the man who was and would become the best player of all time didn’t end his story there. It turns out he still has a lot to give. After trying to break into baseball, he made one of the shortest and most famous statements in professional sports in 1995: “I’m back“. In two words, that is “I’m back” On March 18, he started his second dynasty with the Bulls, consolidating his legendary status in all fields of society.
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