NBA Archives Debunked: The Jordan Saga

Chapter 49

Prosperity and decline.

In 1993, the Bulls achieved three consecutive championships, and there was almost nothing Jordan could not do on the basketball court.Three championships, three finals MVPs, three annual MVPs, seven consecutive scoring titles, seven consecutive selections to the first team of the best team of the year, six consecutive selections to the first team of the best defensive team of the year, one time The best defensive player, two Olympic gold medals, countless records.

But at this time, Jordan was tired.The body is tired, and the heart is also tired.The long-term fatigue and pressure pushed him step by step to the worst decision: retirement.

The earliest initiation of retirement can be traced back to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.Jordan later revealed in his autobiography: "As early as the 1992 Olympics, I knew that next season would be my last. I discussed it with my father, and he knew that I was mentally exhausted. I needed a period of rest, and I Considered leaving after two championships. The only reason I came back was to win a three-peat, which is something neither Larry nor Magic did."

At the beginning of the 1992-1993 season, Jordan was a little bit exhausted.He has been playing with little rest for two consecutive years, and when he has nothing to criticize on the court, the outside world has focused on his private life off the court.Jordan said he felt "like a fish in a glass aquarium" and his life was completely changed.He wanted to escape, he needed to change, he didn't feel motivated to continue his basketball career.

During the 1993 playoffs, Dean Smith made a surprise trip to Chicago to watch Jordan play.Before that, Coach Smith had always said that he wanted to watch a Jordan professional game, but he never made the trip. This visit seems to be because the two have reached a tacit understanding, and this may be the last chance.Every two weeks, Jordan will call Dean Smith to talk about life, family, and what happened in the team. That season, Jordan has been discussing with Smith about leaving.The more he talked, the more Smith could feel how determined Jordan was. Slowly, he stopped persuading Jordan to give up this decision, but said to Jordan: "This is a great journey. You have accomplished a lot. You The pressure is too much, and you may really need a break." In April 1993, the two had another long talk, and Smith finally asked Jordan if it was really over, and Jordan said, "Yes, it's over."

By the time the 1993 playoffs began, Jordan had made up his mind that it was the right time to leave.This decision, he knew it, his father James Jordan knew it, Dean Smith knew it, and everyone else knew almost nothing.

Magicians may be half-informed.After retiring, the magician entered Jordan's circle of friends and became one of Jordan's best buddies.During this period, he served as a guest commentator on NBC TV, and he had a different perspective on issues. He warned his current colleagues that Jordan might leave.As someone who has experienced it, the magician can empathize with him. He noticed the changes in Jordan. He said: Jordan loves basketball, but he has been exhausted by the negative effects of his fame.

After the season ended, in August, Jordan suffered a devastating blow: his father was murdered.

July 7, eight days before James Jordan's 23th birthday.After attending a friend's funeral, Old Jordan drove home from Wilmington. He was a little tired on the way, so he parked the car on the side of the road to rest. He was attacked by two local gangsters and was eventually killed.Two thieves stole Jordan Sr.'s car and some of its contents, including Jordan's two championship rings.The body of Jordan Sr. was not found until August 57, and his identity was not confirmed until ten days later.The two murderers who killed him were quickly arrested and imprisoned, but this could not bring back Jordan's life.

Jordan has a very close relationship with his father.After Jordan became a superstar in Chicago, Jordan Sr. retired from General Electric and came to his son to take care of many daily affairs for him.Jordan later wrote in his autobiography:
My father's death brought an end to one of the most successful and difficult periods of my life.

He is my best friend and he knows everything about me.He always knew what was going to happen long before it happened.The bright side of my personality comes from my father.He's a very popular guy with a great sense of humor.He taught me many things in life, one of the lessons is: everything happens for a reason.

That's why I was able to remain optimistic about life, about mine, after my father died.I took this experience as an indication from God that it was time to stand up and make my own decisions.

I no longer had my father's support and guidance to rely on, and it was time for me to become more mature.Up until that point, everything I did, from basketball to business, went through my parents, and I valued their input and felt like I needed their guidance in a way.And after he died, I realized I had to start making decisions on my own.I still ask for advice, and I listen to others, but the responsibility is mine alone.I have to make the kind of decisions a man should make, I have to make my own decisions, no one can rely on my shoulders.

Jordan's death made Jordan deeply blame himself. He felt that it was his fame that turned such a private family matter into a semi-public news event.Some media even suggested that the murder may have a lot to do with Jordan's gambling scandal, and these suspicions have hurt Jordan greatly.

A few weeks after the Bulls won the title, Leinsdorf and Falk talked to Jordan, telling him to use that summer to think about what he wanted to do next.And after experiencing his father's death and some things that happened afterwards, Jordan's decision made a few months ago became more and more firm: I want to rest.

Jordan felt that it was difficult for him to find challenges on the basketball court.They defeated Detroit and achieved three consecutive championships. No one said that Jordan could not lead the team to win the championship, and all doubts on the court disappeared.For Jordan's life, the word "challenge" is very important, which is the driving force for his continuous efforts to seek breakthroughs.He often talks about challenges—according to one reporter's tally, Jordan used the word "challenge" 45 times in about 12 minutes in a postgame press conference—he valued challenges, but now, challenges are far away from him.

Jordan set his sights on the baseball field. In the 1992-1993 season, he began to mention his unfulfilled baseball dreams more and more frequently.As a child, baseball was his favorite and best sport.On the day Phoenix won the championship, while celebrating in the locker room, Jordan did not forget to say to the trainer Grover: Start preparing for the baseball plan.

In early September, Phil Jackson had an interview with Jordan in his office at the Beto Center at the Bulls' practice facility.Jordan wasted no time getting right to the point, and he asked Jackson to give him a reason to keep playing.Jackson stared at him for a second or two and said: God has given you such great talents, and it is your responsibility to use them to benefit others.Jordan said that he understands that he agrees with the reasons given by Phil, but he will retire sooner or later. The only difference is whether to retire now or in two years.Jackson still wanted to say something, but at that moment, Jordan already knew what he was going to do. It was impossible for Jackson to give him a reason to change his mind, and Jordan himself could not find such a reason.

On October 1993, 10, the Bulls held a press conference, and Jordan announced his retirement. The public reason was "lost the desire to play."At the press conference, Jordan's attitude towards the media was full of hostility. He used "you guys" to refer to the media 6 times. He said: "You guys can go to other places to find your stories. Will see you guys too many times."

After leaving basketball, Jordan decided to pursue the baseball dream he shared with his father.He signed with the Chicago White Sox to play in minor league baseball.The White Sox is also Leinsdorf's property, so although Jordan bid farewell to basketball, Leinsdorf is still implementing his original contract and still paying his salary for playing basketball.

Jordan first considered changing careers around 1991. He often talked about baseball with his father, and his father always had the idea of ​​letting him play baseball again. After all, the sport that Jordan first trained his son to participate in was baseball. NBA players Muggsy Bogues (Muggsy Bogues) and Dell Curry (Dell Curry) both played several games in a North Carolina baseball team, and Jordan himself occasionally received a minor league baseball team. The invitation, so the old Jordan encouraged his son: "Why don't you try it?" Jordan was not unmoved, but he never had enough time during the offseason, and he hadn't won everything he wanted on the basketball court at that time.Jordan originally planned to spend the entire summer playing baseball in 1992, but joining the Dream Team for the Barcelona Olympics forced him to put his baseball plans aside.

When he announced his retirement in 1993, Jordan wasn't sure he would play professional baseball. He didn't know if he had a chance.He went to Leinsdorf and told him of his intentions.Leinsdorf knew that Jordan was interested in baseball, but he wasn't entirely sure that Jordan had the ability to play professional baseball. Neither of them wanted Jordan to embarrass himself on the baseball field.So, Jordan started secret training first.About eight weeks later, word got out and Jordan officially announced his decision to switch to baseball.Many years later, Jordan said: "I have always regarded myself as an excellent all-around athlete. I believe that as long as I put my mind to it, I can do anything."

Changing careers is not easy.Although Jordan has outstanding athletic talent and extraordinary determination, although he was an excellent baseball player in his youth, he has bid farewell to this sport for more than ten years after all, and his height of 1.98 meters has also become a disadvantage on the baseball field.Jordan's physical functions have long adapted to basketball. On the basketball court, his body will respond naturally without even thinking about it.Now later in his career, he has had to restructure his body to accommodate the battles on the ballpark.

Jordan took great risks in switching to baseball. If he failed, it would not only be a personal failure, but a disastrous failure exposed to the entire public. In March 1994, "Sports Illustrated" magazine put Jordan in baseball uniforms on the cover, with the headline "Bag It, Michael!" (Forget it, Michael!) The article described Jordan as a disgrace to baseball , which greatly angered Jordan.Since then, Jordan has never forgiven "Sports Illustrated" and its employees, and for a long time refused to cooperate with any "Sports Illustrated" writer, including Jack McCarron, who had a good relationship before.

Jordan practiced hard and worked hard to improve his level.Just like when playing basketball, he was always the first to come and the last to leave every day of training, but these did not bring him the desired results.His performance on the baseball field was generally disappointing.One of Jordan's big problems, according to baseball scouts, was his body -- a perfect body in basketball but abysmal in baseball.Jordan's basketball training intentionally kept his legs as slender as possible, but baseball players rely on their legs to exert strength. In general, baseball players have much thicker lower limbs than basketball players, and their chests are much thicker than basketball players. Much, this is the source of their strength.These guys with a height of less than 1.80 meters and a fat content of about 20% can see things that Jordan can't see, and can do things that Jordan can't.They hit the ball with the kind of power that Jordan always lacked.

Although it was difficult and unsuccessful, Jordan still felt warm and felt like he was living in a dream when looking back on that baseball experience afterwards, which had something to do with his deceased father. "I've been thinking about him, and I know he's there," Jordan said. "It's roughly like, we were completely connected during that time." In addition, getting along with baseball teammates also made Jordan feel more pure , more sincerely, he didn't think that time was a waste of his precious sports life, even if he did it all over again, he would not erase this experience.

Jordan claimed that while playing baseball, he didn't pay much attention to basketball and didn't think he would return.

Others don't think so.

Phil Jackson always felt that Jordan's love for basketball was very special and pure.Jackson never believed that Jordan was completely and completely out of basketball. He thought Jordan was just tired, tired. During the 1994 NBA playoffs, Pippen refused to play because he was dissatisfied with the arrangement of Jackson's last shot. After that game, Jordan and Jackson had a phone call, which made Jackson more convinced that Jordan was still a member of the Bulls.

Bulls teammate BJ Armstrong remained close to Jordan during his baseball days.Jordan called Armstrong at odd times, either very early in the morning or late at night.Armstrong never asked Jordan how he was doing in baseball, but he could tell.At the beginning, Jordan's voice was pleasant, he enjoyed the environment full of dreams and hopes, and he regained the feeling of his youth.This was the first message Armstrong received from Jordan.

The second layer of information, initially inconspicuous, gradually increased in importance.The message is this: Jordan still wants to talk about basketball and update his understanding, especially for those young people who have just entered the league. In the 1993-1994 season, second-year guard Latrell Sprewell (Latrell Sprewell) of the Golden State Warriors was eye-catching. Some people said that he was the next Jordan, and Jordan wanted to know him very much.So Armstrong told Jordan that Sprewell was athletic and very, very strong.A few weeks later, Jordan "happened" to be in the San Francisco area, which "happened" to be where Sprewell played.Jordan "happened" to visit an old friend, Rod Higgins, who "happened" to be an assistant coach for the Warriors.Hearing that this "coincidental" happened, Armstrong was not surprised at all.Since then, Jordan's calls have come more frequently. He began to inquire about "Penny" Hardaway, began to ask how Jason Kidd (Jason Kidd) was doing, and also wanted to know how the Bulls' young players were doing. How Phil Jackson treated them.

Armstrong was careful not to ask Jordan what his plans were, and Jordan himself didn't say anything.But Armstrong knew it well, he was sure that Jordan would come back, and Jordan's heart had slowly returned to the basketball court.

In the 1994-1995 season, there was a labor dispute in the Major League Baseball MLB, and the players went on strike. The team owners decided to recruit those players from the minor league teams into the major leagues to combat the tough major league players. Now, Jordan The situation has become very delicate.As the most famous and watched player in minor league baseball, Jordan is of course the target of the drafting of the owners, and at the same time, the reference point of the minor league players - what to do?Do you want to accept the boss' invitation?If you accept it, will you be used as a gun by the boss?Is it a betrayal of the player group?The minor league players all stared at Jordan to see how he would choose, and young players even came directly to ask Jordan for his opinion.Jordan didn't want to wade into the muddy waters.Of course he wants to play in MLB, which is his dream, but he doesn't want to use the "replacement" method to join MLB, and he doesn't want to be infamous for it.Jordan is not short of money. As an active player, he doesn't want to stand on the side of the boss at this time and tear down the player's platform. Therefore, he decided to walk away.

(End of this chapter)