“I Didn’t Quit, I Retired”: Michael Jordan Misspoke On His True Intentions Behind 1993 Baseball Stint

When Michael Jordan left the NBA for minor league baseball after winning the 1993 Finals, it came as a shock to the system. Nobody could understand why such a great basketball player would want to try a new sport altogether. Nevertheless, it was an ode to his father, and Jordan pursued the endeavor. The way he sees it, though, he didn’t quit on basketball.

Several factors were involved in Jordan’s move to minor league baseball in ‘93. One of which was his father’s untimely passing, which was deemed a murder. His father always wanted him to try out for baseball. So, Jordan obliged and gave it a go in the middle of a Hall of Fame career following the tragedy.

However, in an interview from 4 years ago, while taste testing cigars, the GOAT said this when thinking back on ‘93. “I’m going to go back to ‘93. I’m old, I can’t remember what happened in ‘93. But I’ll do my best. I just know we won, and I quit,” Jordan said on Cigar Aficionado.

But he actually misspoke about quitting and corrected himself immediately, saying that he retired. “Or, I didn’t quit, I retired,” he corrected.

This is technically true. But Jordan did leave the door open for a return to basketball even when he first retired. So, it was only a matter of time before he made a return.

Regardless, the seeds were already sown for Jordan to leave the NBA and take a break from basketball before he left. During the 1992 NBA Finals, he said this to Bob Greene:

“I’m so tired that even when it comes time to push myself, I feel the tiredness. … Rest isn’t the answer. What I need to do is get away from basketball on the days between the games. That’s why I’ve been going out and playing golf. … On the golf course, I can think about something other than basketball. It’s the only way I know of that I can get rid of the mental part of the tiredness. I just want to get my concentration up and get this over and done with.”

Jordan actually ended up developing a deep passion for golf, and still plays to this day. But he seemingly knew that when he was getting more invested in the sport, his love for the game of basketball waned. He still loved the game itself, but playing in the NBA was grueling on him mentally and physically. 

In the end, though, Jordan came back to the league in 1995 after missing almost two full seasons. He went on to win three more NBA titles in a row with the Bulls, like he did his first three. And the run cemented him as perhaps the greatest player in the league’s history, as we’d never seen a player go 6 for 6 in championships while winning the Finals MVP in every single one. We still haven’t seen one since.