What was the real reason Michael Jordan retired in 1993? 

An all-time great, Michael Jordan fashioned himself a legendary NBA career. With six Championship titles, six finals MVPs, and five regular season MVPs, MJ’s stellar career is impossible to replicate. Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA since being drafted in 1984. But exactly what had transpired in the premises of 1993 that had prompted Michael Jordan to retire from the NBA abruptly? 

Drafted in 1984 by the Chicago Bulls, Jordan played 13 seasons for the franchise, eventually winning six stellar championships. Apart from his NBA career, MJ had a gilded international career with his country as well. Jordan’s international trophy cabinet boasts four gold medals for the United States, including two Olympic Gold in 1984 and 1992.

By the end of the 1992-1993 season, MJ had already won his first iconic three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. But exactly what prompted Michael Jordan to retire abruptly from professional basketball in 1993?

Why did Michael Jordan retire in 1993? 

After clinching his third NBA title with the Chicago Bulls in 1993, Jordan took the sporting world by dead surprise. Only 30 years of age, Michael Jordan announced his retirement from professional basketball in September 1993. 

By that period, Jordan had already won three consecutive titles with the Bulls, all as Finals MVP. By then, the NBA world had already placed a 30-year-old Jordan in the bracket of all-time greats.

MJ’s retirement was an enormous shock to the entire sporting world, since he was at the pinnacle of his career. Jordan stated that he retired because he lacked the drive to keep going and wanted to spend more time with his loved ones.

What did Michael Jordan state in 1993?

In the press conference where MJ briefed his decision to retire, the NBA legend insinuated that he lacked the motivation to continue playing, “I’ve heard a lot of different speculation about my reasons for not playing – but I’ve always stressed to people that have known me that when I lose the sense of motivation and the sense to prove something as a basketball player, it’s time for me to move away from the game of basketball.”

“It’s not because I don’t love the game. I love the game of basketball. I always will. At this particular time in my career, I have reached the pinnacle of my career. I have achieved a lot in that short amount of time, if you want to call it short. But I just feel that I don’t have anything else for myself to prove,” Jordan continued. 

It is perhaps a rather understandable notion for someone who had already won everything by that time frame to decide to hang up his jersey. But the decision came as a blow to enthusiasts of the sport, and fans weren’t ready to deal with it. On the other hand, Jordan’s claim was legitimate in its own right as he was being downright honest to his fans and teammates.

“If I didn’t have the desire to step on the basketball court and have something to prove, then I must admit that,” Jordan said. “I can’t step out there and know that I’m out there for no reason. It’s not worth it for me, and I don’t think it’s worth it for my teammates.”

Jordan’s Father’s untimely death

It has often been considered that Jordan’s father’s untimely death may have instigated the NBA legend’s decision to retire in 1993. James Raymond Jordan, MJ’s dad, had been murdered in July 1993. In an attempted robbery, two people shot Jordan Sr when he had parked his car for a nap during a journey. The incident shook MJ to the core, and the unpredictability of life hit him hard.

“I think one thing about my father’s death is that it can be gone and taken away from you at any time,” Jordan said. “There’s a lot of family members and friends I haven’t seen because I’ve been very selfish in my career to try to get to this point. To make sure that I achieved all the dreams that I wanted to achieve,” he continued. 

“Now that I’m here, it’s time to be a little bit unselfish in terms of spending more time with my family. My wife, my kids, and just get back to a normal life, as close to it as I could.”

It wasn’t, however, the end of Jordan’s illustrious career in the NBA. MJ would then return to win another three-peat of NBA titles with the Bulls, all as finals MVP yet again. As if Jordan knew, his final statement before retiring in 1993 echoed his return.

“The word ‘retire’ means you can do anything you want from this day on,” the NBA legend had said. “So if I desire to come back and play again, maybe that’s what I want to do. Maybe that’s the challenge that I may need some day down the road. I’m not gonna close that door. I don’t believe in never.” 

And he stayed true to those words.

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