Michael Jordan lived 15 years of glory in the NBA. His career included 14 All-Star inclusions. Even in his rookie year, 1984, he won an Olympic Gold Medal. It seemed like he was always in his best shape and form. But when he truly came into his prime, he dominated the whole decade even though he took a break for one season. Winning six NBA championships in nine seasons played really paved the way for MJ to be in the GOAT conversation.
When Jordan retired in 1999 for the second time, it was a tough situation to accept for his fans and basketball lovers all over the world. People were used to seeing Michael hang in the air for more time than everyone else and win games single handedly. However, for MJ it was a calming decision. Although it wasn’t easy for him either yet he knew he was doing the right thing for himself. Moreover, moving on from one thing that he loved dearly, MJ went ahead towards the other thing that he was fond of. Golf!
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The Chicago Bulls legend after retiring took a vacation to Ireland and Scotland where he spent time with his family and children. He did not watch much basketball because he simply loved the game too much and wanted to stay away from it. What he did instead was play golf from sun up to sun down.
READ MORE: Michael Jordan and His Love Affair with Golf: Three of the Greatest MJ Stories Between 18 Holes
He made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay asked how many holes Michael played in a single day in his 10 day vacation. Michael revealed, “At least 54 a day. One day I played 81 holes!” Jay expressed astonishment on how that would have literally taken the whole day. Michael answered, “I don’t have a job, what else can I do?”. The crowd started laughing and as did Jay.
Michael Jordan in retirement – another comeback to the NBA
It was not long before MJ was sucked into action once again. After acquiring some percentage of Washington Wizards, Michael gave his fans another surprise when he decided to come out of retirement and play for the Washington Wizards. He played for them for 2 seasons. And even in those seasons he earned All Star inclusions. At the age of 38 and 39, MJ still managed to maintain an average of over 21 points.
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However, Michael failed to help the Wizards. Moreover, Michael once also admitted that he made a mistake coming out of retirement for the Wizards. He felt like he was “soothing an itch”.
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Michael Jordan is synonymous to the words greatness and success. Even though he might have felt he was not at his best when he played for the Wizards, the fact that he played at a top level even after gaps in his career only adds to his unmatchable legacy.