Michael Jordan’s career was the stuff of legends. His initial stint in the league was marred by losses against the big boys in the Eastern Conference, but he eventually broke through with the Chicago Bulls. And in the process, he led the team alongside Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant to three straight championships.
Michael Jordan was at the peak of his fame by the time the Chicago Bulls won for the third time in 1993. And while that came with a lot of positives, the negatives of excess popularity had started to weigh him down by this point as well. The passing of his father, who MJ was very close to, took a toll on him. And the questions about his gambling habits were also a bother to His Airness.
This led to him retiring for the first time at the end of his threepeat. At that time, Jordan decided to play baseball and try to go pro, with teammates like Steve Kerr giving their insight into why he did that. MJ did play for the Birmingham Barons, but he returned to the NBA in 1995. As he told GQ in 2007, though, there was a chance he would never have returned to the NBA if not for one situation.
“I look back at that as very successful. The media was looking at stats. I started to improve in the second half of that season. And I would have never stopped if it wasn’t for the [1994 baseball] strike, which drove me away. But what baseball provided was the energy of camaraderie, to see guys go out and do things they have love in their hearts for, even though they’re not getting paid a lot. That rejuvenated me as an athlete.”
The 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike was a huge event, with the MLB missing out on an entire postseason thanks to their labor dispute. It’s safe to say that it played a big role in Michael Jordan’s decision to return. And that decision changed NBA history.
What Would Have Happened If Michael Jordan Never Returned To The NBA
Michael Jordan’s return to the league probably stopped a Utah Jazz dynasty from being born. John Stockton and Karl Malone ended up ringless thanks to MJ, something the former likely still hasn’t let go of, and they could have won a few if not for MJ and the Chicago Bulls.
If Jordan hadn’t returned, he would never have become the undisputed GOAT either. It would mean fewer MVPs, 3 fewer rings, and 3 fewer Finals MVPs. The GOAT debate, which is so intense at this moment, would probably already have skewed in favor of LeBron James. The NBA really would have been vastly different.
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