What if Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls in 1996 to join Patrick Ewing and his New York Knicks? This narrative started to float when rumors of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf not willing to pay him the desired amount surfaced. After skipping the entire 1993-94 season and a chunk of the 1994-95 season for minor league baseball, MJ came back to the Bulls for the final 17 Regular Season games and the postseason. However, the team just couldn’t get past the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semis despite his return. But MJ and the Bulls roared back for their fourth title during the 1995-96 season.
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Therefore, when the Bulls and their legendary guard were in contract negotiations, His Airness wanted apt compensation for his top-notch services. But there were hints that the Bulls’ ownership was reluctant to do so. Thus, the speculations of the Shooting Guard leaving the team became rife.
In 1996, during an NBC Sports season preview show with Bob Costas and Julius Erving, NBA analyst Peter Vecsey gave the New York Knicks a high chance of landing Michael Jordan in the offseason. In the build-up to the 1996-97 season, Vecsey revealed that MJ might want to teach Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf a lesson for paying him much less than he deserved.
Host Bob Costas was talking about the Knicks’ offseason plans and speculated their interest in All-Stars like Reggie Miller and Juwan Howard. He then turned to Vecsey. As an expert in trade matters, the analyst told the panel that they have a strong chance of landing MJ. He expressed, “My feeling is they[Knicks] have a chance to go out and get Michael Jordan.”
“If Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Bulls does not give Jordan what he wants. If he considers it an insult, I think Jordan will make Reinsdorf pay one way or the other. And the best way to make him pay would be to come to New York for less money”, added Vecsey.
Michael Jordan to the Knicks? (1996) pic.twitter.com/iIo6jn3U2N
— 90s NBA (@NBA90s) December 30, 2023
Had it not been for the incredible athlete, the Bulls would not have been able to boast about six titles. Since Jordan left in 1998, they have had just one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, which came during Derrick Rose’s prime in 2011. In retrospect, had he not re-signed, the Bulls would have had a bleaker history. Jerry Reinsdorf likely still thanks his lucky stars that Jordan decided to stay.
Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls
Eventually, he decided to sign a one-year, $30,140,000 deal which was the first $30 million contract in NBA history. Therefore, the guard did get his say, thanks to his glorious body of work. This led to two more championships and the team completed their second three-peat. If not for his thorough commitment to basketball, the franchise could have lost the guard before he even stepped on the court.
In 1984, as a rookie Jordan’s agent, David Falk insisted upon adding an attendance clause to his rookie contract. They wanted a share of revenue if the Bulls’ sparse average attendance of 6,600 was to multiply because of the sensational rookie. However, the Bulls ownership denied the request. Despite this denial, MJ’s will to dominate only multiplied further. He set off for an incredible NBA journey because he wasn’t driven solely by the pay. He was more about the hoops and even monetary compensations were just a way to stamp his imprints.
