Despite being one of the biggest winners in NBA history, both individually and collectively, the legendary player had a tumultuous career that included three retirements. MJ’s tenure with the Chicago Bulls was incredible, as the player recorded one of the most impressive runs in the NBA, winning several scoring championships, titles, and individual awards.
After being out of the league for a year and a half, he made his first return, helping the Bulls reach the second round of the playoffs in 1995. One year later, he would start his second three-peat, dominating the competition once again.
Jordan made a surprising return in the 2000s with the Washington Wizards, where he played two seasons before calling it a career for good. That tenure had more downs than ups, but MJ still had a good run, even being considered an MVP candidate during his first season in D.C.
Mark Cuban Recalls The Time He Almost Signed Michael Jordan
Besides the Wizards, other teams were interested in MJ’s services, and one of them was the Dallas Mavericks, a team with a young Dirk Nowitzki that would become one of the best players in the league in the following years. During a recent interview with Complex, Mark Cuban recalled how close the Mavs were to acquiring Jordan (4:22).
“Yeah, it’s no lie. David Falk called me after I bought the Mavs, who was Michael’s agent, and he was like, ‘well, get ready.’ I was like, ‘I heard Michael might come back,’ because he was ready to sign this deal with the Wizards and I go to meet MJ for the first time and he’s got all the paperwork right there to sign with the Wizards. I’m like, ‘here’s your last chance to get it. I’ll ask the same deal.’ I mean, I was playing Shark Tank before Shark Tank was born. But you know, he went to the Wizards.”
It would have been interesting to see Mike on the Mavs, especially playing with a guy like Nowitzki. It would have been weird to see him wearing that jersey, but it was the same with the Wizards, and people have gotten used to that now. During his career, Jordan flirted with other teams, including the New York Knicks. MJ used them to get leverage on his new contract with the Bulls, which worked perfectly for him.
The Mavericks would get another Bulls legend in Dennis Rodman, but that tenure wasn’t pleasant for anybody. That move could have been really great if everything worked out, but we’ll never know how a Jordan-Nowitzki duo would have fared.
