Dejected by Jersey Number Change in 1995, Michael Jordan Bowed Down to NBA’s $25,000 Fine: “Refused to Speak”

Michael Jordan may be the greatest player of all time, but he wasn’t always the most open to constructive criticism. Back in 1995, when he returned to the NBA from his first retirement, the Chicago Bulls superstar came back with #45 on his jersey. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get himself to play very well wearing it, resulting in tons of criticism from the media. As a result, MJ stopped doing interviews. He would soon come back with #23 on his back, tired of the backlash against his subpar performances. As Roland Lazenby notes in his book, ‘Michael Jordan: The Life‘, this move immediately prompted a hefty $25,000 fine on the Bulls by the NBA.

Jordan first retired from the NBA on October 6, 1993, after the Bulls’ first three-peat. This move also came after the death of his father, James Jordan Sr. At the time, Jordan left the NBA to play baseball, because he believed his father always wanted him to become a baseball player.

However, after his brief stint in the baseball world, MJ returned to the league on March 19, 1995. But instead of wearing his iconic #23, he chose to wear #45 this time instead. Of course, that would change very soon.

Michael Jordan refused to speak to the media after he was criticized for his game

Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls faced off against the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 1995 NBA playoffs. At the time, Jordan was wearing the #45.

After repeatedly performing poorly, an opposition player at the time, Nick Anderson, couldn’t stop talking smack to MJ. However, he also understood why Jordan looked different. At one point in the series, he said:

“Number 45 doesn’t explode like number 23 used to. Number 45 is not number 23. I couldn’t have done that to number 23.”

Feeling slighted, MJ decided to change things up after hearing the waves of criticism centering him. Here is how ‘Michael Jordan: The Life’ narrates what happened next:

“Jordan refused to speak with the press afterward. He showed up for the next game wearing his old 23, an unannounced jersey change that drew the Bulls a $25,000 fine from the league. The NBA also enforced its policy that required Jordan to begin addressing the media again.” 

Along with a $25,000 fine, the league also stated in no unclear terms, that it was mandatory for Michael Jordan to attend press conferences. However, to MJ’s credit, he did seem to play quite a bit better after the jersey number change, apparently feeling more comfortable in #23. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to take the Bulls over the hump against the Magic, who would make it to the NBA Finals that year.

Despite a rough start, greatness continued before long

When he first returned, Michael Jordan was more inconsistent than anything else for the Chicago Bulls. There were nights when he would score 55 points, before turning around and putting up just 19 points, shooting 7-of-28, the next game.

It was a rough phase for the player, who understood his body wasn’t quite in the right shape for basketball anymore. So, he immediately got to work with his legendary trainer, Tim Grover, during the offseason.

With MJ looking fresh and hungry during the 1995-1996 NBA season, the Chicago Bulls commenced their return to the top. The team would historically go on to win their second three-peat during the next three seasons.