Michael Jordan is undoubtedly one of the greatest basketball players to have ever lived. Which makes his brief foray into baseball even more bizarre.
Follow Us
No list of basketball all-time greats would be complete without Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls legend is still seen by many as the sport’s Greatest of All Time (GOAT). His celebrity appeal propelled the National Basketball Association (NBA) to greater popularity. And his double three-peat, when he won 6 NBA titles with the Bulls, remain the stuff of legends. Yet amazingly, he also had a brief foray into another sport: baseball. Yes, the man who epitomised basketball greatness did, for a while, play minor league baseball. And it was on this day in 1993 that he announced his first retirement from basketball.
It’s been 28 years but the idea seems as surreal then as it did now. But why did he choose to do what he did? Was he any good in the sport or was it just a pass-time?
All these questions and more are what we will attempt to answer now.
Michael Jordan was very much at the peak of his career in 1993. The Chicago Bulls had done their first three-peat and Jordan was part of the USA ‘Dream Team’ that took gold in the Olympics.
But Jordan was feeling burnt out. The relentless schedule of a basketball player, as well as the demands made on him due to his celebrity status, were taking its toll.
Jordan would later reveal that he was contemplating retirement in 1992 itself. However, the incident that really solidifed his stance was a personal tragedy.
His father, James Jordan, went missing and was later found murdered. The men who committed the crime were eventually sentenced to life imprisonment. However, the loss of his father had a profound effect on Jordan.
He was close to his father, even adopting his ‘tongue sticking out’ mannerism whil driving at the basket. But the effect of the loss and burnout from his career led to him quitting the sport.
But the biggest shock was to come a few months later. Jordan signed a deal with Minor League Baseball side Chicago White Sox, and would report to pre-season training at the end of March.
The reason this happened was because Jordan’s father wanted him to become a star in Major League Baseball. Yet that did not take away from how unusual the whole arrangement was.
What’s more, the White Sox were owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, who just so happened to own the Chicago Bulls. This led to many a conspiracy theory over Jordan’s baseball career.
Most believed he was suspended by the NBA for gambling issues and thus baseball was a cover story. Years later, this was proved untrue. But Reinsdorf did honour Jordan’s Bulls’ contract, even when he had retired the first time.
Still, set aside the conspiracy theories and the idea still made little sense on paper. A pro basketball player looking to change and adapt to another sport? It is easier said than done, which is why it rarely if ever happens.
Jordan might have signed with the White Sox, but he played a season for the Birmingham Barons. They were a Double-A minor league affiliate of the White Sox, and would give him a platform on which to build his skills.
Jordan, it is worth noting, had played basketball in his early days but he was years into a basketball career at that point. And his numbers don’t make for great reading.
He batted .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, 114 strikeouts, 51 bases on balls, and 11 errors. A cursory glance at those stats don’t make for great reading.
However, the context here is important. This was a sportsman switching sports, not a rookie starting out. Yet most of his coaches from that time believed he had at least a shot of making the majors.
That speaks volumes not only to his ability, but also his work ethic. He worked extremely hard on his game throughout that season, and showed visible improvement as time went on.
Indeed, the only reason he quit baseball was due to the MLB strike in 1995. He didn’t want to become a replacement player (someone who only plays during a strike and is not otherwise part of a team) and so left the sport behind.
Michael Jordan would go on to return to the sport which gave him everything – basketball – in 1995. He rejoined the Bulls, and together with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, would lead the franchise to another three-peat.
He would eventually retire after being let go of by the Bulls, but made a two-season return and played for the Washington Wizards. Once he retired in 2003, he left the game for good.
But how does his baseball career figure into this? Many at the time saw it as little more than a vanity project. Jordan, however, saw it differently.
“How would I describe my baseball experience? I would describe it now the same way I described it then. Every moment was a warm one,” he said in his 1998 autobiography.
“I remember looking up in the sky from time to time and being amazed at how much my life had changed. I had no fear. Just a warm feeling. I can’t describe the sense exactly, but now it seems like I was living a dream.”
Whatever one’s opinion of the break, it is clear that it did him a world of good. And would go on to rekindle the competitive spirit that saw him do another three-peat with the Bulls.
