"I would ask him this question"- Skip Bayless wants to ask Michael Jordan if his first retirement from the NBA was a suspension
The details surrounding Michael Jordan's infamous first retirement have been heavily debated to this day. Many have speculated that the legend didn't actually hang up his sneakers but was forced to do so by the NBA. Some have a theory that he just got bored after his first three-peat and there was nothing left for him to accomplish.
Popular sports pundit Skip Bayless was answering fan-sent questions on his podcast, "The Skip Bayless Show," and he entertained one from a New Yorker named Marques. He wanted to know what Bayless would ask Michael Jordan if he got just one question, and his answer was:
"It's a good question. If I could, I would ask him this question. Michael, is the speculation true that the NBA commissioner forced you to take almost two seasons away from the NBA? In part because you like to play golf and cards with and against professional gamblers and that the year you played minor league baseball in Birmingham just gave you something to do while you were effectively suspended."
Michael Jordan's gambling habit was public knowledge. He would often gamble thousands of dollars on golf and cards, and the league was worried that he wasn't setting a good example of a role model.
Today in 1994, Michael Jordan made his professional baseball debut during his (alleged) suspension from the NBA for gambling. https://t.co/suVqkyemcF
However, there have been several theories trying to justify his two-year absence from the NBA at the peak of his powers. Skip Bayless wants to know if the speculations are true so that the fans can know the truth once and for all.
Here's the video link to this week's "Skip Bayless Show" as I bare my soul on Angel Reese vs Caitlin Clark, I explain why golf is the hardest game (and bowling the easiest) and I will make you think about Zeke's career & MJ's "hiatus": youtube.com/watch?v=lsPuNI…
Was Michael Jordan suspended from the NBA or did he retire?
Michael Jordan was quite close to his father, referring to him as "his rock" and his death took a toll on him. His father, James Jordan, didn't just die of old age but was murdered a month after MJ won his third ring in 1993. According to his documentary "The Last Dance," he wasn't planning on returning to the league and had retired thinking he had played his final game. According to him, only his late father knew that Jordan was already considering retirement.
Jordan was apparently tired of staying number one. He was mentally and physically exhausted and needed time off to process his father's untimely death.
Conspiracy theorists saying Michael Jordan's retirement in 1993 was a low-key gambling suspension always pissed me off. It's insulting.
You can tell in Episode 6 that Jordan no longer loved the game of basketball. Coupled with the fact that his dad was MURDERED.
According to His Airness, the rumor that he was suspended is utterly false. He said:
"I didn't retire because the league kicked me out or they suspended me for a year and a half. That is not true. There’s no truth to that. I needed a break. My father just passed. I retired with the notion I wasn’t going to come back."
Hearing MJ cry on the floor after the Fathers Day championship win was probably the most emotional moment from #TheLastDance so far. https://t.co/OnHdz1CHAq
Michael Jordan's first retirement remains a topic for barbershop conversation. Many fans believe the Chicago Bulls would have won eight straight titles if he hadn't taken a hiatus from the NBA.