Michael Jordan, despite the constant success in the NBA, retired from the league on 3 separate occasions. His first retirement however, was perhaps the most interesting. His father, James Jordan, who he was incredibly close with, had been murdered by Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery, with the former pulling the trigger as James slept in his car. This moment in MJ’s life changed everything for him and led him down a path which saw him leave the NBA for close to two years.
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James was coming back home from a whole day of golf and had stopped his car at the US Highway 74 to take a short nap. After many hours of not hearing from him, Deloris got worried and eventually the police got involved. 11 days later, his body was found in a swamp and was identified via his dental records.
Demery, Green’s accomplice, claimed under oath that Green shot James Jordan through the chest because he had woken up from his nap in the car, startling him. The initial plan was to rob him and leave but because of this moment, they had now been charged with murder.
Michael Jordan and his last conversation with James Jordan
James Jordan, while he was proud of what his son had accomplished in the NBA, always wanted him to try out baseball. In fact, during the ‘Last Dance’ docuseries in episode 7, Michael Jordan gets asked about what his final conversation with his father was. In response, MJ says:
“We were debating about me playing baseball. ‘Dad, I wanna go play baseball. I’m thinking about retiring and I wanna go play baseball.’ All the things he said, he said, ‘Do it. Do it.’ Because he got me started in baseball.”
Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls, confirmed in this same episode that it was always Michael’s father’s dream for his son to play baseball. With him passing away, MJ found this to be the perfect time to step away from the NBA and focus on something entirely different from what he had been doing for the past decade.
Michael Jordan was thinking about retiring well before his father’s death
Michael Jordan was burnt out from being atop the NBA well before James Jordan had passed. The year prior when Team USA was in Barcelona, Jordan had expressed how tired he was and how much he needed a break.
His father’s passing was the nail in the coffin for his decision to leave the NBA and at the time, he didn’t think he would ever come back. He signed with the Birmingham Barons and showed slow and gradual improvement as a baseball player. However, as all NBA fans know, he sent out the iconic ‘I’m back’ fax in early 1995 and returned to the NBA.
