In 1993, Michael Jordan shocked the world when he decided to retire at the age of 30. The Bulls superstar was the best player in the league and had just won his third straight championship and Finals MVP. He briefly played baseball for the Chicago White Sox’s AA team, the Birmingham Barons, before returning to the NBA in 1995. However, he donned the #45 jersey instead of his iconic #23. His peers thought he no longer was the player that terrorized the league. But Muggsy Bogues and the rest of the league quickly learned they were mistaken.
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During an appearance on Vernon Maxwell’s Maxxed Out pod, the retired guard claimed Jordan’s comeback after his first retirement exceeded his expectations. Bogues’ Hornets, who were the #4 seed in the 1995 playoffs, faced the Bulls in the first round. Bogues thought his team had a chance against the superstar, who had been away from the league for 17 months.
However, he realized the jersey number change and lengthy layoff didn’t matter. Reminiscing about Jordan’s stellar performance in that series, Bogues told Maxwell,
“MJ just came back cuz he had retired from baseball and then all of a sudden, he came back and that was our first series that he played in. He had 45 on and you know 45, thought that was gonna be a different guy, but sh** 45, it wasn’t nothing just minus a 22 because it was still 23 going out there and doing his thing.”
Jordan tallied 32.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and two steals per game and led the Bulls to a 3-1 series win. Many expected a steep dropoff in his output and he did struggle as a shooter. He banked only 41.1% of his shots during the regular season, but upped his game and averaged 31.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.3 steals per game on an excellent 48.4% shooting in 10 playoff games.
Not only did Jordan quickly return to his dominant ways on the court, but he also swapped back to #23 after Nick Anderson’s ill-advised trash-talking.
How Nick Anderson woke up the monster in MJ
Jordan changed his jersey number because his father, who died in 1993, had seen him wear #23. Since he was no longer around, he didn’t want to sport it. He planned on treating his return to the NBA as a new chapter, independent of what he had done before it.
However, during Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Bulls and Magic, Anderson’s taunt prompted the guard to switch back to his old number. After stealing the ball from Jordan for an easy transition basketball to clinch Game 1, he famously told reporters,
“No. 45 doesn’t explode like No. 23 used to. No. 45 is not No. 23. I couldn’t have done that to No. 23.”
Of course, the Bulls superstar wouldn’t let that diss slide. He sported #23 in Game 2 and dropped 38 points in a 104-94 win. While the Bulls lost the series in six games, it was a great prelude to their upcoming three-peat.
They’d have their revenge in the 1996 playoffs, sweeping the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Had Anderson not poked the bear, perhaps Jordan would’ve played out the rest of his career in #45.
