When Michael Jordan’s father died in July of 1993, it sent a shock through his system. So much so that he decided to temporarily retire from basketball and pursue a baseball career. It was a wild turn of events at the time. But years later, several conspiracies have surrounded the curious case.
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Most notably, people believe that Jordan could have been tied up in gambling debt. This, in turn, may have led to his father’s death, which would give reason for what was reported as a random act of violence. But there is no evidence to support this claim.
When a former teammate of Jordan, Horace Grant, hears about these conspiracies, he thinks people are focusing on the wrong thing and that they don’t understand.
“People don’t know, in terms of he lost his dad. The trauma that a guy like that, who has no privacy, losing his dad, and the wear and tear on you mentally, can take a toll on you. He just wanted to get away, man,” Grant shared on All The Smoke.
Jordan cited mental burnout and a desire for privacy when he retired from the NBA. His father’s death made him lose passion for the game. Anyone who’s ever dealt with the loss of a parent may be able to relate.
However, Jordan was always an avid gambler, and it was highly publicized. The connection and conspiracy feel natural. But Grant dismisses these rumors.
“We never heard gambling and all of that sh*t because in our mind we had something to prove to ourselves, and the fans in the city of Chicago. That we had a legitimate chance to win without MJ,” Grant stated.
Later on, the 4-time NBA champ revealed something not many may have known about Jordan while he was temporarily retired.
“He used to come and practice with us. Yeah, he’d still come to practice.”
Jordan would be away from the NBA for 2.5 years before returning. After coming back, he won two more MVPs and three more championships. It put a bow on perhaps the greatest career in league history.
All in all, with social media nowadays, conspiracy theories tend to get out of hand. While some things could lead one to believe that Jordan’s father was murdered in connection with his gambling habits, none of them have proven to be true.
Regardless, the conspiracy will rage on, with only a select few choosing to believe in its validity. But Grant was someone close to the situation who probably knows the truth.
