WATCH: Michael Jordan Gets Super Emotional Remembering the Brutal Murder of His Father

The Chicago Bulls completed their ultimate goal in 1993. They went out and won the three-peat that many adjudged they won’t. Led by the prowess of Michael Jordan, the Bulls enjoyed major success in the early 90s. They were shortly left puzzled after learning that their best player was retiring. 

Only a few months past winning his third NBA title, Michael Jordan was in his absolute prime, but decided to let the world know that he no longer wanted to play the game of basketball. It was a shocking statement coming out from the world’s best player. While some attributed it to his gambling problems, MJ was deeply affected by the demise of his father who was cruelly shot. This might have got him to retire from basketball, while he even said he no longer had the desire to continue playing. 

How MJ’s father James R. Jordan Sr. passed away

James had went down to North Carolina to attend the funeral of a former co-worker. He had to drive back to Charlotte and board a flight back to Chicago. Riding the brand new Lexus SC400 gifted by his son, James took a break from driving and proceeded to take a nap on US Highway 74. 

Around the area, two teenagers named Danny Green and Larry Demery had met up to hang around. Much to their surprise, they saw a flashy red Lexus parked on the highway with a man napping inside it. They attempted to rob him, then murdered him with a gunshot and drove away with the car.

Eleven days later, his body was identified in a swamp. It took a few days for the doctors to confirm that it was the father of the three-time NBA champion. The kids had no idea they had just killed MJ’s father. A series of phone calls attempted by the two boys led to their capture by the police, a few days later.

How Michael Jordan initially coped up with the death of his father

A few months after the passing of his dear dad, Jordan made an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He was wearing a gray suit that almost reflected his grim state of mind. Oprah immediately asked Jordan if he felt like confronting the two boys responsible for the murder.

“I haven’t gotten to that stage yet. It’s been a very tough time for me to deal with it. I don’t have any feelings against him yet, because it has not really sunk in yet,” Jordan expressed.

Apart from revealing that it really hadn’t sunk in yet, he stated he hardly wanted to know the reason behind it. “It would probably hurt me even more just to know their reasons.” Jordan did not want to face the reason why the boys murdered his father. He chose to stay away from it, claiming it would have been a meaningless or silly one.

Michael Jordan then announced his retirement from the NBA and it was attributed to his father’s death.“He wanted me to quit after the first championship but I had many things to accomplish,” he said. “He saw my last game, so that is the greatest gratification that I can have,” added Jordan talking about his first retirement. 

MJ mentioned his optimistic approach to life in front of Oprah and the audience. According to him, sobbing over the fact that his father is no more is not going to bring him back. The idea of living with it and hoping for nicer things moving forward, kept Jordan going.

James was MJ’s first basketball mentor and helped him realized his love for the game. He stood by his side right from the start. James was instrumental in shaping his son’s career in the NBA. From tackling the media to helping him cool down after a playoff loss, he was there for his son through thick and thin.