Michael Jordan sits at the top of endless lists. When it comes to greatness, you just can’t leave his name out of the conversation.
However, as great and competitive as he was, it seems like Jordan wasn’t greedy at all. I mean, he wanted to win every game, humiliate his rivals, and prove that he was the greatest player ever, but – unlike when gambling – he knew when to stop.
Everybody knows Jordan could’ve laced them up for an extra year or two with the Chicago Bulls and maybe even win at least another NBA Championship. Even he said so during ‘The Last Dance’s’ final episode. Hell, he even came back later for a two-year stint with the Washington Wizards.
But besides the Bulls’ office decision to rebuild, Jordan was clearly worn out already. He was physically drained and mentally exhausted, as no other human being faced the same scrutiny at the time and he just didn’t want to keep up with it.
Still, it’ll always feel like he could’ve given us more. As a matter of fact, he’s the first athlete in all major sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) to retire right after winning the MVP award since Jim Brown did it in 1965, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Michael Jordan is the only player in NBA history to retire immediately after winning an MVP award OR scoring title.
In fact, MJ's the only NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL player to retire immediately after winning an MVP award since Jim Brown did it following the 1965 season#TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/85y3LB3yFf
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) May 18, 2020
Jordan wasn’t only named MVP that season but was also the Scoring champion, All-Star MVP, and Finals MVP, all while playing 38.8 minutes and all 82 games at age 34.
He said himself that he was exhausted and you could notice it on the playoffs every time he sat down during a timeout. At the end of the day, he was only human. Right?
