Michael Jordan stressed that despite retirement, basketball remained in his blood during a charity event organised by Scottie Pippen.

Michael Jordan retired several times in the NBA, the first of which was in 1993. This was not long after MJ helped the Chicago Bulls secure their first three-peat title run. There were a lot of factors that pushed “His Airness” to temporarily walk away from basketball. At the top of the list was the murder of his father, James Jordan Sr., who was killed in July that same year. Regardless, the 3rd overall pick of the 1984 Draft still had basketball blood flowing from within.

Despite the unfortunate decision, basketball fans believed Jordan would reconsider and return to basketball one day. While no one knew when that would happen back then, the bright side was Michael’s savviness on the court was still there.

MJ still has game

After announcing his retirement, Jordan diverted his attention to baseball. He signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox and ended up with the Birmingham Barons. Michael pointed out that he ventured into professional baseball because it was his father’s dream to see him as a Major League Baseball player.

Despite focusing on baseball, Jordan showed that his basketball brilliance was still around. He laced up and played a charity match organized by former Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen. Jordan showcased his old self in front of an estimated crowd of 18,671 at the soon-to-be condemned Chicago Stadium.

The 6-foot-6 All-Star guard would drop a game-high 52 points in that charity game, leading the White team to a 187-150 win over Pippen’s Red team. Jordan shared that he proved he still had what it takes to play the game. Hence, it was hardly surprising that many asked if his performance somehow made him reconsider returning to the NBA.

“No. I can still do this, that’s not what this was about. I can do this any day, in any gym against any bunch of guys. That’s a rarity,” Jordan said at the time via the New York Times.

Jordan would later add that his focus remains on making it in the major leagues. Further, he reiterated that the task of leading the Bulls in the NBA then was on Pip.

“It’s his house now,” Jordan said. “It’s his place.”

Change of heart
After 18 months of trying his luck in baseball, Michael finally realized he was better off sticking to basketball. Better yet, the layoff allowed MJ to reflect and mature. He admitted that himself when he spoke about his return to the media.

“I think I’ve matured. I’m in more control of my personal life, as well as my basketball life. I went and took a break from ‘you guys,'” Jordan stated.

Of course, Jordan’s return pivoted the Bulls back on the right track. His first year didn’t go well as Michael recalibrated himself then. But come the 1995-96 season, MJ got his bearings back, sparking another three-peat for Chicago.