In 1990, Michael Jordan was just one year short of winning his first NBA title with the Chicago Bulls. But the year proved to be almost a tipping point for the Bulls superstar, who was frustrated on all ends. In fact, he was so tired with the gimmicks of the league during the 1990 All-Star weekend, that Jordan had revealed that he was planning to play for just five more years before leaving. An excerpt from the 1991 book “The Jordan Rules” by Sam Smith has been going viral on Reddit, highlighting MJ’s frustration with the league.
Advertisement
As an established star in the league, Jordan wasn’t quite on board with the various contests held during the All-Star weekend. During the 1990 All-Star weekend, Jordan had even tried faking an injury to avoid participating in the ‘three-Point’ contest.
However, he had to participate in the end. MJ ended up scoring an all-time low of five points in the competition. This frustrated him so much that he compared his NBA stint with jail time.
Frustrated with the NBA’s gimmicks, Jordan told his teammates, as per Sam Smith’s book The Jordan Rules:
“Five more years and I’m out of here. I’m marking these days on a calendar, like I’m in jail. I’m tired of being used by this organization, by the league, by the writers, by everyone.”
Michael Jordan proved himself to be a box office star from the year he was drafted in 1984. It’s because of him that the league saw an exponential increase in viewership.
However, after six years in the league, MJ started feeling increasingly frustrated with his surroundings. After getting ousted in the playoffs year after year, Jordan felt that the Bulls organization wasn’t interested in winning Championships. They just wanted to make as much money as possible off of his superstardom.
The league’s gimmicks further accentuated his irritation.
Jordan would eventually leave the league in just three years.
Jordan retired in 1993 after his father’s untimely demise
By 1993, Jordan won three Championships and further established his status as a star player for the Chicago Bulls. With such peak success, tragedy struck Jordan when he learned about his father’s untimely demise. MJ was very close to his father and was devastated by the news.
Hence, he decided to take an early retirement that year and try his luck in baseball.
MJ’s father always desired his son to be a professional MLB player. Trying his hand at the same, Jordan played for the minor league side Birmingham Barons.
However, the 1994-95 MLB strike forced Jordan to come back to basketball in 1995. After that, he won three more championships, etching his status as one of the greats of basketball.
ncG1vNJzZmismJrAsbvRraqrraOde6S7zGilm5ldo7K4v4yfoK%2BdXaK8s7GMspyaqqNirq%2BwjKKkZqelqXqwsoyhnKudXZuypXnUqWSwoaSderW0xGaYpaRdqMGivoywnJ6jlaOxbrnInJ%2BanZxit7C%2Bw5qlZpufor2ivsinnmaikZ65bsDIppxmr5mptW66wZpkq52jqr%2BnrcKeqmg%3D