Kevin McHale spent 13 seasons playing for the Boston Celtics and will always be remembered as one of the greatest power forwards to play for the franchise. However, the Chicago Bulls fans remember McHale for his take on Michael Jordan that went down horribly wrong. After Jordan decided to retire in 1993, the Celtics legend claimed that he would be forgotten as soon as a five-year period.
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Kevin McHale strongly believed that the league would continue to move on without the presence of Michael Jordan. As seen in the throwback video posted by Ballislife, ‘the Black Hole’ predicted that Shaquille O’Neal would take over the mantle as the face of the league. Little did the Celtics icon know that MJ would make a comeback merely a year later and would go on to solidify his legacy as one of the game’s greatest players ever.
Kevin McHale’s horribly wrong take after Jordan’s sudden retirement in 1993
Michael Jordan’s decision to retire in 1993 was quite sudden. The 6ft 6” guard successfully clinched a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls and decided to switch to baseball following his father’s brutal murder.
Kevin McHale was among the many personalities from the basketball world who spoke about His Airness’ retirement. In an interview, the three-time NBA Champion boldly claimed that MJ would be forgotten in no more than five years. Displaying all his faith in the 21-year-old, McHale predicted that Shaquille O’Neal would take over as the new face of the league.
“I guarantee you, people may not believe it or not, but in 5 years, people will be saying, ‘Michael who?’ and that’s the way it is in this league. There’s going to be someone that comes out, maybe it’s Shaquille, someone’s going to come out and dominate. The names on the back of jerseys change. The league just keeps rolling on.”
Kevin McHale’s reaction to Michael Jordan retiring:
“I guarantee you, people may not believe it or not, but in 5 years people will be saying ‘Michael who?’…the names on the back of jerseys change, the league just keeps rolling on.” pic.twitter.com/DjYyHtL3pm https://t.co/WovFhzuLrc
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 6, 2023
It’s pretty fair to say that the 6ft 10” big man’s judgment was as wrong as it could get. After struggling in Minor League Baseball, Mike decided to return to the NBA. Being out for over a year didn’t seem to have any ill effect on Jordan’s productivity.
Continuing to dominate the league till 1998, Air Jordan won two more MVPs, three more scoring titles, NBA titles, and Finals MVPs. Even though MJ did come out of retirement for a second time, he solidified his legacy by becoming the frontrunner for the prestigious GOAT title in 1998.
McHale selected Bill Russell over Michael Jordan
Despite LeBron James’ domination over the past few years, Michael Jordan is often touted as the basketball GOAT. Clearly, six Championships, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, a DPOY, and ten scoring titles are enough laurels that one needs in order to be regarded as the best.
However, a year ago, Kevin McHale snubbed MJ and selected Bill Russell when he was asked to pick a player to lead a team to a win. His reason? “Will over skill.”
Of course, Kevin McHale could’ve been biased with his answer. The man spent 13 long years playing for the Celtics. By selecting Bill Russell, Kevin only displayed his loyalty to the franchise.
