Michael Jordan is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He has 6 NBA titles to his name and each one of them is special for him. However, the title win in 1996 was more than special for Jordan.
He dedicated this win to his father who was murdered in 1993. James Jordan Sr’s death deeply hurt MJ and he talked about how it affected him in interviews. Moreover, a former Mafia associate gave his opinions regarding the entire situation.
Michael Franzese said, “I don’t have first-hand knowledge of this but, being that I was working with the NBA at that time, I was told two things. One that he was told to leave the NBA around the time his father got murdered because stories were about to come out and there was a lot of heat on the fact that because of Michael’s gambling habit, his father paid the price. The NBA did not want the press so they asked him to leave for a while. That’s when he went to play baseball.“
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Although a lot of other reports suggested the same reason for Michael’s retirement from the NBA, there is no concrete evidence to support the same.
On the other hand, Danny Green, one of the suspects in the murder, was also interviewed regarding the crime. He said, “We got out of the car and they kind of backed the car up to like, a low bridge. He gets out and we take the body and put it in the water.”
This confession was witnessed by millions around the world as the prime suspect in the crime confessed on National Television.
How did Michael Jordan help in the investigation?
The murder of James Jordan Sr. started a long investigation. Interestingly enough, one of Michael Jordan’s prized possessions acted as a vital piece of evidence for the police. An NBA ring given by MJ to his father himself helped the police track the killers.
A suspect, Daniel Green, pointed out to a patch of dirt beside his great grandfather’s house. Upon further investigation, Jordan’s NBA ring was found in the same patch of dirt. This accelerated the investigation massively.
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Moreover, police also found a pistol and a homemade rap video by the suspect. The rap video had the suspect featured in it wearing some pieces of jewelry and the NBA ring. The jewelry was also given to James Jordan Sr. by Michael Jordan.
As the Chicago Bulls beat the Seattle Supersonics to win the 1996 NBA title, Jordan dedicated this win to his father. MJ averaged 27.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, which earned him the Finals MVP award.
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