Michael Jordan’s first retirement in 1993 shocked the NBA community to its core. After all, MJ was at the prime of his career and was coming off on the heels of winning the third straight NBA title with the Chicago Bulls.
Evidently, the mood in the locker room must have been gloomy. Former Bulls player Scott Williams recently shared the environment after Jordan’s first retirement, despite team owner Jerry Reinsdorf aching for a celebration.
“We had a press conference, and I think Jerry Reinsdorf, who was our president of the ball club, said it was a time of celebration. But you look at the players’ faces – it was like a funeral. Ain’t nobody celebrating his retirement. I felt bad because I knew what the pain was to lose a parent that was murdered. I felt in my heart that MJ stepping away from the game didn’t have to do with him not feeling like he had anything else to accomplish like he had said. … I think he needed time to mourn the loss of his dad.”
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Losing a parent is arguably one of the most challenging things for any child to deal with. Michael Jordan had to deal with that in 1993 when his father was murdered.
Jordan considered his dad to be his biggest support system. So, the Bulls’ legend was obviously shattered after learning about the tragic news. Keeping that in mind, MJ needed some time away from the team.
After spending just 15 months away from the game of basketball, Jordan announced his return to the NBA in 1995. He then proceeded to lead the Bulls to three more NBA Championships, taking his total title tally to six.
Michael Jordan’s True Feelings About Losing His Father At 30 Years Old
Michael Jordan created an amazing persona that led most fans to believe the six-time NBA champion would never let his emotions get out of control.
But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, in an old interview with ESPN, MJ revealed his biggest regret of losing his dad when he was just 30 years old.
“He never met my fiancée. He never got to see my kids grow up. He died in ’93. Jasmine was a year old. Marcus was three years old. Jeffrey was five years old.”
In a couple of months (July 23, 2023), it will be the 30th anniversary of Michael Jordan’s father’s death. Jordan must miss his father a lot, even today.
Although Mike’s dad missed out on a lot of things in his son’s life, he still saw him become the greatest basketball player of all time before his death.
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