Michael Jordan conquered the world of basketball during his time in the league. He set numerous records, won almost every other award, and eventually bagged multiple NBA championships. However, after winning his first three, Jordan decided to leave basketball to try his hand at baseball. A dream of his father’s, James Jordan once believed that his son would make it big in the MLB. Roland Lazenby in his book, From Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby, details Jordan’s aspiration for baseball.
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“James Jordan began to entertain the thought that his son was headed toward the big leagues. William Henry Jordan, a cousin, saw it, too.”
James Jordan’s cousin William Henry Jordan once talked about Michael’s pitching when he was 12 years old. After seeing him pitch and strike out almost all the batters, William also believed that Michael would become a pro player one day.
“Michael pitched in an all-star game against my son when he was twelve years old. You could only pitch four innings under the rules at that time. He struck out all twelve batters he faced, if I remember correctly. He was throwing so hard. He pitched for New Hanover and my son played for Pender County. We were sure that day when we watched him that MJ would be a pro player.”
William Henry Jordan was beyond impressed when he saw a young MJ strike out all the batters. According to him, Jordan was throwing the ball so hard that he could envision him playing in the MLB one day too. Dick Neher, who went on to coach Michael Jordan for the Babe Ruth League, attested to his skills on the ground.
“Jordan wasn’t just a pitcher. “When he was twelve years old, he was an outstanding Little League player.”
His coach even mentioned how he’d throw the ball to the first base in case someone tried to sneak a run. Dick Neher did so while drawing comparisons between a young Jordan and baseball legend Derek Jeter.
“He was lanky. He played shortstop, too. He’d go over behind third base to dig out a grounder, he’d backhand the ball. You’ve seen Derek Jeter do this. He’d jump up in the air and throw it over to first. He was named Mr. Baseball in North Carolina,” from Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby
Michael Jordan’s theatrics even when he was just 12 years of age landed him the title of Mr. Baseball in North Carolina, leading his father to be more confident of him joining the MLB one day.
Michael Jordan’s short-lived baseball career
James Jordan always wanted his son to play baseball. However, life had other plans for Michael who went on to become one of the greatest, if not the greatest basketball player of all time. Unfortunately for James, his son eventually did make the switch but he was no more to see his son fulfill his father’s dream.
Michael Jordan went on to join the Birmingham Barons in 1994 after retiring from the NBA. Even at 30 years of age, baseball analysts and experts believed that MJ could very well make it into the MLB one day.
Being a messiah in the world of basketball, people expected the same from Michael Jordan when it came to baseball as well. However, things did not go according to plan as many analysts called him out over his skills on the diamond.
Even Sports Illustrated published a controversial cover that led Jordan to cut ties with the company. However, his agent David Falk did back him up. According to MLB.com, this is what Falk said back then.
“Michael Jordan gave up everything he had earned as the king of basketball to play Minor League baseball and subject himself to criticism. He put everything on the line to compete, with nothing to gain. That is the essence of sports. To this day, SI has never apologized to Michael, and he’ll never talk to them.”
Eventually, MJ did come back to the NBA to win three more titles and solidify his name in the history books for years to come.
