The tragic death of his father in 1993 was close to killing Jordan’s career, if he did not have the energy and extraordinary determination to return to the NBA.
If Michael Jordan’s career is divided into two phases, the first stage is the image of a full-fledged superstar, and the second stage is the image of a warrior reaching into a legend.
Michael was born and raised in a prominent family, in one of the affluent neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Deloris, was a banker. The father, James Jordan, is an equipment monitoring specialist.
Michael Jordan with his parents when he first joined the NBA. Photo: AP.
Michael has two brothers, an older sister and a younger sister. One of Michael’s two brothers was in the organization of the Regiment Commander of a US Air Force regiment. The rest are well-educated and have stable jobs. But Michael is a special member of the family.
Revealing his basketball talent early on, Michael was fully supported by his father. Mr. James, despite his love of basketball, is always willing to spend a few hours a day taking his son to play basketball. He was also a student of Michael when he was criticized for being short on the Laney High School football team. At that time, Michael was still confused between the options chosen by basketball, football or baseball.
When Michael was selected by the Chicago Bulls at the 1984 NBA Draft, James was overjoyed because he knew how hard it was for his son to both earn his diploma from the University of North Carolina and pursue a career in basketball. In response, Michael did not disappoint his father. America still remembers the photo of Michael and James Jordan celebrating together after winning their first NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls in 1991.
Jordan father and son celebrate after the first NBA championship in 1991. Photo: AP.
Two consecutive seasons later, Michael is not only the brightest star in the NBA, but also the number one icon of American sports, when he has two more championships. But maybe even in the worst nightmare, Michael did not expect the NBA in 1993 to be the last time to share joy with the father he loved so much.
By, after that is a tragedy…
At the end of July 1993, on his way back from a friend’s funeral, James went missing. His family initially thought that he was going somewhere to visit friends far away, so he did not notify the police. Michael was training before the new season with teammates at the Chicago Bulls.
In early August, police found James’ body near a swamp in the woods. It may even begin to decompose, making it difficult to identify. Three days later, authorities were forced to cremate the body, before Michael received the results of a DNA test to find out that it was his father.
The builder Hal Locklear discovered the appearance of James Jordan in a forest nearly 200 km south of Charlotte. Photo: Highsnobiety.
Two perpetrators with Mr. James, then fell into the law net. When they were arrested, they were still holding the NBA championship hat and ring that Michael gave his father as a souvenir.
The summer of 1993 became the greatest tragedy in Michael’s life. He completely avoided the media, not saying a word to reporters, even when he did not appear during the investigation of the case. Two brothers replaced Michael to do the hard work. Michael cowered, broke down completely and made a decision that shocked the whole of America.
On June 10, 1993, the number one NBA star announced his retirement from basketball to pursue a career in baseball, his father’s favorite sport. Not long after, Michael started playing for the Chicago White Sox and Birmingham Barons football clubs. At this time, the Chicago Bulls team decided to hang his number 23 shirt as an act of gratitude and deep condolences.
But Michael’s love and passion for basketball didn’t stop there.
One year after leaving the NBA, Michael has overcome the biggest psychological shock in his life and also one of the biggest tragedies in NBA history. He decided to return, signed a second contract with the Chicago Bulls and immediately played a key role in the team’s three consecutive championships from 1996-1998.
When the Chicago Bulls won the NBA championship in 1996, on Father’s occasion, Michael refused to join the fun with his teammates. He quickly went to the changing room and fell on the floor, mourning for his ill father. To this day, this is still one of the most moving and sympathetic faces in NBA history.
Michael had to face the fall of his home and mourn his father, after winning the championship in 1996.
Michael then continued to maintain excellent form to prolong his career until the age of 40 with the Washington Wizards shirt. The number one icon of American sports shrinks nearly 20 years of professional play in the NBA in a way that couldn’t be more perfect.
The story of Michael Jordan’s strong comeback is still an exciting passion for many athletes. Tragedy in personal life can happen to anyone, but with NBA stars, they have a much more difficult time because they still have to shoulder the pressure of expectations, achievements and bonuses for each person to receive. year.
Tournament history has proven that not everyone can do the same miracle as Michael Jordan did. His great image is clearly not only built with basketball shots or NBA games.
