It was a dark day in American sports history when Michael Jordan announced his retirement from the game of basketball for the first time after 9 seasons. The Chicago Bulls struggled and fans yearned to see MJ back to high-flying ways. And after a year and a half, Jordan made his much-anticipated return to the NBA, only to get compared to his former self.
In Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, the former NBA player and coach described seeing Michael Jordan trying to get back in shape after conditioning his body to play baseball for a year and a half.
“Jordan focused on being consistent and stepping up, when needed, to deliver a decisive blow. In early December, after scoring 37 points against the Clippers, he announced to reporters that he felt “pretty much all the way back now as a player.”
Michael Jordan won his third straight NBA Finals with the Chicago Bulls and decided to retire on October 6, 1993. MJ’s coveted comeback back took place on March 19, 1995, following elimination in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Bulls legend put in extensive work in the offseason to get back in shape and perform the way he used to on the hardwood. Coming back determined to dominate the league once again, it did not take long for Jordan and the Bulls to set the 72-10 season record that year.
However, it wasn’t until his game against the Los Angeles Clippers on December 2, 1995, that Jordan felt he was back to his former self, given the buzz that had been floating around in papers and basketball circles.
“He joked about being compared to his former self all the time. According to some people, he said, ‘I’m even failing to live up to Michael Jordan. But I have the best chance of being him because I am him.’”
Jordan had one 40-point game and six 30-point nights already but it was his 37-point performance against the Clippers that finally convinced him that he had got his groove back on the floor.
The six-time NBA champion was a legend the moment he stepped onto the court. He played every game like it was his last and made sure to leave everything on the floor. After MJ retired for the final time back in 2003, he went on to reveal why he competed so hard every time he donned his jersey and sneakers.
“I have a lot of talent, a lot of God-given talent, a lot of skill. I worked really hard. But really, it is my standards. Every day, I demand more from myself than anybody else could humanly expect. I’m not competing with somebody else. I’m competing with what I’m capable of.”
Whether he was competing with his opponents or himself, Jordan almost always came through for his teammates, his team, and his city.
