Between the mid-1980s and early 2000s, Michael Jordan was known as one of the greatest all-time basketball players. Alone he led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and received the NBA MVP award five times in his distinguished career.
At an early age, Jordan was a Member of the University of North Carolina Basketball team. He was drafted to the NBA by the Bulls and he stayed there for the majority of his career, leaving only for a two-year stint at the Washington Wizards.
He was the most unstoppable player in the world for his fans, teammates, and coaches. He was dubbed "Air Jordan" and "His Airness" due to his phenomenal jumping abilities. He became the world's first billionaire athlete in 2014. In addition, Jordan is the sole owner of the Charlotte Hornets today.
When did Jordan retire?
In his NBA career, Jordan retired a total of three times. His first retirement came on October 6, 1993, after the 1993 season, despite having won the NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls for the third time in a row. However, around this time, MJ's father was killed, leaving him devastated. As a result, he spent time out of the league and opted to play minor league baseball for the Chicago White Sox until 1995.
As Jordan returned, he was out of shape, but he recovered his form in the frame of a season only to grab three back-to-back championships. However, he had a disagreement with the club's then-general manager Jerry Krause and it caused him to retire from basketball for the second time in his career on January 13, 1999.
Everyone was convinced that that would be the last time they would ever see MJ on the pitch. However, Michael surprised them after shockingly coming back to feature for the Washington Wizards just two years later. Although Jordan managed to score his 30,000th total carer point during his first season there, and even against his former side, the Bulls, he never succeeded in leading the Wizards to the playoffs. On April 16, 2003, he retired for the third and final time.
How old was Michael Jordan when he retired?
When he confirmed the decision to hang up his sneakers in 1993, Jordan was just 30 years old. At the time Jordan said that after a number of heavy seasons and the increasing taxes on his star status, he lost his urge to play basketball. The decision came just a few months after the assassination of his father, James Jordan, which took place in North Carolina at a rest stop.
Short-lived is how Jordan's first retirement can be described. The then-32-year-old MJ came out of retirement with a two-word announcement: "I'm back". It didn't take long for the Bulls to return to their winning ways thanks to Jordan. Chicago dominated again for three consecutive terms until the end of the 1997-98 season when Jordan called it quits one more time, at the age of 35.
But that is not all. "Air Jordan" made another unexpected return to the NBA with the Washington Wizards a 38-year-old. However, he failed to lead his side to the playoffs and his performances were rather disappointing. Finally, in 2003 as a 40-year-old, MJ announced his final retirement from basketball.
