While it has long been believed that James Jordan's tragic demise was the sole reason Michael Jordan decided to retire from the NBA in 1993 and pursue a career in baseball, this theory is not entirely accurate.
Interestingly, in one of his old interviews, the five-time MVP admitted that he had contemplated retirement even before the 1992-93 season. Despite the Chicago Bulls winning two championships, the internal harmony within the squad had significantly deteriorated, and egos started to rule the locker room.
Jordan admitted that the Bulls' harmony was ruined
MJ's relentless competitive drive finally led the Wind City team past the hurdle in the 1991 playoffs. Ever since the team won their first Larry O'Brien trophy, Mike's propensity to never settle for less made him arguably the most famous and profitable athlete in sports.
However, this success inadvertently fostered an environment of jealousy among his teammates, and His Airness could sense his diminishing relationship with Horace Grant and John Paxson was spoiling things a bit too fast.
"Horace and I never saw eye to eye because he was griping so much about what I was getting. There was a lot of jealousy on the Bulls by the end of that third championship season, and my relationship with Horace was tainting my relationship with Scottie. The harmony wasn't great. John Paxson and I were very close. But there were a lot of issues. And I was exhausted, " Jordan said . "My father and I had been talking about playing baseball for an entire year, all the way back to before the 1992 Olympics."
Adding to these issues, the 6'6" shooting guard had also grown tired of hearing how he hadn't won anything until some of his teammates arrived. As one of the most experienced players on the team when they won their first championship, MJ felt insulted by his teammate's efforts to steal his thunder. Consequently, he became keen to observe whether they could win without him, to challenge their bold assertions.
"I was just tired of being around the team. I had been there before any of them, so I felt certain seniority, " MJ added. "They'd talk about how I never won anything until they came around. I wanted to see if they could do it by themselves."
That isn't the only time the 14-time All-Star was vocal about his claims of wanting to take a break from the NBA, even before his father's tragic demise. He even mentioned how physically but mentally exhausted he became after the Bulls' championship triumph in 1993.
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MJ's reason to return for the 1992-93 season
Anyone familiar with the New York native would recognize that he excelled when he took things personally and was driven to chase a record. For the six-time Finals MVP, the sole motivation to defend the Bulls' title in 1993 was to accomplish something that neither Magic Johnson nor Larry Bird had managed to achieve.
"After we won the first two titles back-to-back, the only reason I came back was to win three in a row, which was something Larry and Magic never did," Jordan concluded. "That was my only motivation."
It's safe to say that while Mr Air's decision to abruptly retire from the NBA at the peak of his career might've come across as a blatant shock to many fans, for him, it was a necessary measure to take some time off and return with a refreshed mind by stepping away from the daily mental grind.
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