Fact Check: Did Michael Jordan retire from NBA after a freak injury? Exploring reason behind his retirement
While Michael Jordan is seen as one of the greatest players in basketball history, his career had its ups and downs. Mainly in that he decided to walk away from the game multiple times.
Michael Jordan retired for the first time in 1993 in a move that shocked everyone. At the time, he was the face of the league and only 29 years old. On top of that, Jordan has just got done leading to the Chicago Bulls to a three-peat.
The tragic death of Jordan's father is believed to have played a major role in this. For that same reason, the NBA star decided to take his luck to the baseball diamond. After just one year, he returned to the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan retired for the second time in 1998, and a recent story went viral on social media regarding the decision. In a massive thread on Twitter, Frank Michael Smith broke down a freak injury that might have caused "his airness" to step away again.
A freak injury that had nothing to do with basketball...
Could’ve forced MJ into retirement
Here's The Story: https://t.co/gQBfEuLCXn
According to Smith, the six-time champ tore a tendon in his finger because of a freak accident with a cigar cutter. Despite what happened while the Bulls star was on vacation, he denies any claim that this injury is what led to him retiring for the second time.
During a vacation in the Bahamas at the beginning of ’99, MJ elected to use a cheap cutter to chop the top off his stogie
The cutter broke as he pushed down on it and the blade pushed directly into his right index finger...
Slicing open a tendon in the process https://t.co/2JAntd3p09
Did Michael Jordan retire because of this freak injury?
While this injury does appear to have done significant damage, it doesn't seem like it played a role in Michael Jordan retiring for the second time. During the "Last Dance" documentary that aired in 2020, the Chicago Bulls icon explained why he stepped away again.
During the 1990s, the Bulls had a vice grip on the NBA. However, the front office made it clear that they'd be going in a different direction following the '98 season.
Phil Jackson was at the end of his contract, and was told he was not going to be brought back. Out of respect for his longtime coach, Jordan said he'd retire unless he was playing under Jackson.
Chicago completed a second three-peat that year, but it did not change anything. Jackson walked at the end of his contract, Jordan retired, and Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman were shipped out. Because of all these factors, it's hard to believe that the injury led to Jordan's departure.
Another reason why it seems unlikely is because he came back for a third time. Jordan played for the Washington Wizards in 2002 and 2003 before officially being down with basketball for good.