63-Year-Old Michael Jordan Reiterates He Dreams of Being Able to Play Basketball

Chicago Bulls and NBA great Michael Jordan has channeled his competitive nature into golf, fishing, and NASCAR.

63-Year-Old Michael Jordan Reiterates He Dreams of Being Able to Play Basketball

Michael Jordan still wants to play basketball (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Michael Jordan, at 63, expresses a strong desire to play basketball again, stating he still feels the competitive urge.
  • He reveals that the pressure of being labeled the GOAT contributed to his decision to step back from the sport.
  • Jordan reiterates his belief that there is no single GOAT in basketball, emphasizing the importance of transcending athletes and evolving the game.

It has been more than two decades since the Chicago Bulls’ great Michael Jordan last dribbled a basketball on an NBA court.

Out of the 15 years he was in the league, 13 were with the Bulls, where he established himself as the greatest basketball player of all time.

Six championships in six Finals appearances, five league MVP awards, countless scoring and defensive accolades, and several other accomplishments made him the undisputed GOAT.

All that came from his relentless drive, something the legendary Mike Krzyzewski used to refer to him as the ‘ultimate competitor.’ That is why, after leaving the game, he tried his hand as a franchise owner.

That stint did not work out, and he eventually sold the Charlotte Hornets for a pretty sum. Now that he has moved to NASCAR, and quite successfully, CBS Sunday Morning’s host Gayle King asked him if he still has that itch to play ball.

Oh, 100%. It’s not just a teeny piece, it’s a huge piece. I’ve compensated that feeling through NASCAR or through fishing. That urge to dream, that if I wish, I can still pick up a basketball… oh, I would love to do that. Believe me, my competitive juices, yeah, I would definitely love to do that.

Michael Jordan replied

The 63-year-old had earlier stated, while on NBC, that he wished there was a ‘magic pill’ that could enable him to return to the NBA. Even though it is still a pipe dream, Jordan wishes he could dribble a basketball.

Michael Jordan reveals pressure of being basketball’s GOAT pushed him away from the sport

While explaining why he invested in a NASCAR team, Michael Jordan revealed how his father was the reason his love for cars grew. Later, Gayle King asked if he was still managing to live the quiet life in this sport as he wanted when he left the NBA.

Michael Jordan established himself as the best with the Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan established himself as the best with the Chicago Bulls (Image via Ballmuse/X)

It’s a quieter life where I’m not really the show… When I say I wanted to retire and get to a quieter life, I wanted to get away from basketball in terms of what I represented in that arena. How big I’ve gotten. It was such a huge burden for me in that sport.

Michael Jordan replied

‘His Airness’ pointed out that even though he did not imagine it being this way, being at the forefront of his recent successes in NASCAR is nothing compared to what it was in the NBA.

Jordan explained that the pressure on him to continue performing at the level he established was what drew him away from basketball. In short, the pressure of being the GOAT was also the reason he quit the sport, thrice.

Michael Jordan reiterates there is no GOAT of basketball

In his 15 seasons, Michael Jordan established himself as the de facto GOAT of basketball, and as he revealed, that pressure pushed him to stop and move on to something else.

When Gayle King asked if, other than himself, there was room for more great players to share the throne with the former Defensive Player of the Year awardee, he replied:

There’s no such thing as the GOAT. Not to me. It’s only because we are transcended from other people, other athletes. We learn from other athletes. We progress the game as we move further. To say that one is better than the other is not really right.

Michael Jordan said

This is Jordan reiterating what he said earlier this year, that he does not want the GOAT conversations to happen. The last time he said this, he explained that animosity was tearing the game apart, and that is why he wanted the conversations to stop.

Now, he is saying that the game needs to keep moving further, and that is why transcendent athletes such as himself should continue growing the game rather than being in a battle of who is the best.

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