Michael Jordan dominated the 1990s en route to two separate three-peats. He could’ve extended his dominance over the NBA for eight years, but he unexpectedly retired from basketball to pursue a baseball career. Although Jordan has stated the basketball reasons for the decision, former crime boss Michael Franzese reveals what he believes the true cause of Jordan’s goodbye.
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The Chicago Bulls legend’s entire life had flipped upside down in 1993. Shortly after Jordan helped lead Chicago to their third consecutive title, his desire to play the game seemingly vanished. MJ stated that the reasoning was due to the murder of his father, James R. Jordan Sr.
Many years later, during the release of The Last Dance, Jordan cited mental and physical exhaustion from the spotlight and basketball for retiring. He made a push to become an MLB player to chase the dream his father always had for him.
The little discrepancies within Jordan’s story don’t tell the whole truth, according to Franzese. The once mobster gave a detailed explanation for the true reason behind Jordan’s first retirement on the Jack Neel Podcast.
“There was so much heat on [Michael Jordan] they told him just go away for a while,” Franzese said. “They didn’t tell him to play baseball, but he wanted to stay active. That’s why he wanted to play baseball. When his father died, they just wanted him to get out to take the heat off the NBA for a while.”
Jordan spent nearly two years pursuing a stint in the MLB. He was a member of the Chicago White Sox’s minor league affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. Despite some flashy moments, he never received an opportunity to play on the main roster. Regardless, he considers his stint in baseball a success.
Jordan is content with his pursuit of a baseball career
Jordan was the ultimate competitor during his time in the NBA. Those genes aren’t easy to shake as he carried them with him on the baseball diamond. Although he came up short of his ultimate goal of playing in the MLB, he believes his baseball career was a huge success.
In 2007, Jordan opened up about that chapter of his athletic life with GQ. He gave insight on the profound impact baseball had on his life at the time.
“I look back at that as very successful,” Jordan said. “The media was looking at stats. I started to improve in the second half of that season. And I would have never stopped if it wasn’t for the [1994 baseball] strike, which drove me away.”
MJ gives his time pursuing baseball significant credit for his ability to return to basketball at an elite level. He had lost his hunger and drive to perform on a nightly basis. But his time away from the game rejuvenated him to reach greater heights than before.
