Finally he stated, "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 can." When asked, what will he do now, Jordan replied, "In retirement, you do whatever comes to mind. Relax. Enjoy the time you've been deprived of for many years." I guess what came to Michael's mind was playing baseball. Not spending time with the wife and kids, unless of course they were on the bus with him and the rest of the Birmingham Barons while traveling from small town to smaller town across the Southern US.

Which brings up an interesting point. The only reason Jordan was even given an opportunity to play baseball was because Chicago Bulls' owner Jerry Reinsdorf also owned the Chicago White Sox. The Barons were an affiliate of the White Sox, so MJ could easily pass through the filters that would've normally kept him off the team. Reinsdorf stood to lose as much as anyone with MJ's retirement (just compare Bulls tickets sales today compared to when MJ played). Yet he was one of the first people Jordan contacted regarding a potential "retirement." How did Reinsdorf respond? By paying Jordan $4 million and leaving a contractual window open for him to return [9] – even though after being ask would he ever return, Jordan replied, "No – if so, I'd still be playing."

Let's face the facts: Jordan was a horrible baseball player. In his one full season in Birmingham, he hit .202 – even with opposing team's catchers telling him which pitch was coming next. White Sox General Manager Ron Schueler was quoted at the time as saying that Jordan's chance of making the majors was "a million-to-one shot." So was he truly living a childhood dream of his to play baseball, or was it something more?

I believe there was more to his minor league career than waving at curve balls. I believe the NBA came to Jordan and laid it out for him. They didn't want to see him go down for gambling, but at the same time, they couldn't seem to control him. So they asked him to "retire" and seek some help. Allow the media investigations (if there even were any) to cool down and soon the public will forget all about it. Go play baseball so you can keep in shape and remain at least somewhat in the spotlight. Then, when the time is right, Jordan would be allowed to return to the NBA as the mighty king he once was.

He made a very interesting comment during his retirement press conference. When asked, "will you miss the sport?" he replied: "I'm pretty sure I'll miss the sport. To come back is a different thought – I can't answer that. I'm not making this a 'never' issue. I'm saying right now I don't have the mental drive to come out and push myself to play with a certain focus. Five years down the line, if the urge comes back, if the Bulls will have me, if David Stern lets me back in the league, I may come back. [emphasis added]" No reporter there bothered to ask him, why wouldn't the Commissioner let you back in, Michael? It's a very interesting choice of words. One that lends itself to a very different interpretation of the situation.

Even during his second (and more formal) retirement, Jordan had to again tip his cap to Stern. In thanking a few people that came before him, Jordan said, "And Mr. Stern and what he's done for the league and gave me the opportunity to play the game of basketball." How, exactly, did Stern give him an opportunity to play basketball? By drafting him? By offering him a contract? By putting him in the starting line-up? No. By, as MJ said at his first retirement press conference, letting him back in the league.

Having seen the financial dip the league took post-Jordan retirement, the league wanted him to return. They needed him to return. There was no replacement for Michael Jordan. And after his two-word press release in the middle of the 1994-95 season, which simply stated, "I' m back," Jordan was. Presumably having put the gambling behind him (the stories, at least), Jordan played another three full seasons with the Bulls, winning the championship in all three.

Conclusions

At a certain point in time, Michael Jordan stopped playing by the NBA's rules and began playing by his own. The NBA, not wanting to upset its cash cow, bent as far as it could to accommodate him. Be it with the lack of foul calls, or limited media access, or getting away with a crime, the NBA was always willing to do it for Michael.

You may be asking yourself, be you a fan of the game or not, why should I care if Jordan did "retire" on his own accord or if the NBA coerced him? The answer is as simple as it is obvious. If there indeed was more to the Jordan story than reported (as I most certain believe) then the NBA, like many big businesses, is lying to you and covering up the facts. The NBA, with NBC as its partner in crime if you will, isn't giving us the real deal. They are broadcasting a fairy tale and allowing Michael Jordan to live happily ever after at our expense.

Just take a look at Jordan's final game, the 1997-98 NBA Championship game against the Utah Jazz. With 5.2 seconds left to go and the Bulls in possession of the ball, to whom do you think they'd look? Michael Jordan, of course. A wide open, nearly unguarded Michael Jordan who not only takes the last, game winning shot, but poses there for the cameras, so that image can be placed on every piece of merchandise the NBA can sell. If the NBA ever conspired to fix one of its own games, that would be the one to most point your finger at. They allowed the man who made the league rich beyond even their greediest expectations to go out on top, in style, and without a hint of controversy standing in the way.

Endnotes:

[1] David Halberstam. Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made (New York: Random House, 1999). p. 317.

[2] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Money Players: Days and Nights Inside the New NBA (New York: Pocket Books, 1997). p. 191.

[3] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 77.

[4] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 196.

[5] David Halberstam. Ibid. p. 321.

[6] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 191.

[7] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 196.

[8] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 173.

[9] Armen Keteyian, Harvey Araton, and Martin F. Dardis. Ibid. p. 185.

Quotes from both Michael Jordan retirement speeches taken from transcripts as published by the Chicago Tribune.

Other quotes and figures taken from various issues of the Chicago Tribune.